To Love and Be Loved
by PJD
Summary: Gil Favor falls in love with a well-known stage singer from back East.


Title: To Love and Be Loved Author: PJD Email: blondpj@bellsouth.net Rating: PG-13 Summary: Scarlett introduces Favor to his cousin, an accomplished Eastern singer. Watch the fireworks begin.  
  
TO LOVE AND BE LOVED  
  
Gil Favor, trail boss, did not want to see the performance. Neither did ramrod Rowdy Yates, Jim Quince, Pete Nolan, Wishbone, or Mushy. But Joe Scarlett had begged them to go into town on this Founder's Day and watch his cousin, Laurie, sing on stage. His excitement was so real and his face was so earnest that none of the other men had the heart to tell him that they just didn't want to get all dressed up and go listen to some woman stand on a stage and sing. As a matter of fact, going from saloon to saloon was much more appealing to them. Soon the other drovers they had hired for this year's cattle drive would be arriving and they all would be busy gathering the steers to drive to the railhead in Sedalia. Drinking liquor and flirting with the dance-hall girls was much more to their liking.  
  
"Have you ever seen Scarlett's family?" asked Rowdy as he washed his face.  
  
"Yep," answered Quince. "Ugly. Every one of them looks like the south end of a northbound steer."  
  
"Great. Just great," interjected Rowdy as he pulled on his best shirt and clumsily knotted his string tie.  
  
"Okay, okay," came the deep voice of Gil Favor. "Quit gripin' and get dressed. Scarlett's been with us for a lotta years and it's the least we can do." The trail boss straightened his vest and slicked back his hair.  
  
Wishbone looked at Mushy. "We'll probably be the only folks there. We gotta go and pretend that we're really enjoying this performance."  
  
Mushy, ever the optimist, smiled. "We might just have a real good time, Mr. Wishbone."  
  
At that comment, there was much eye-rolling and grumbling. After a few glances in the mirror, the group left the hotel and walked toward the Opera House where there was a large crowd already forming. Scarlett could hardly contain himself, such was his excitement. Clutched in his hand were the front row seat tickets that his cousin had sent him when she knew he and the other drovers would be in Abilene. Glumly, the men entered the Opera House and took their seats. Rowdy heard his boss try to stifle a big sigh as he settled into his seat. It was obvious that Mr. Favor was not in a good mood. The night was definitely not promising.  
  
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Scarlett looked around the huge room which was packed to capacity. "See," he whispered to the other men, "I told you that Laurie was famous. Look how many folks are here to see her. She came here all the way from New York, ya know, and...."  
  
"You ever heard of her, Mr. Favor? Living in Philadelphia, maybe her name is familiar to you," inquired Quince. "Don't the name 'Laurie Nelson' ring a bell?"  
  
Gil Favor shook his head. "Nope. But I spend my time with my kids when I'm home. Don't get out to events like this. Don't even read about 'em." He stretched his long legs and tried to sound polite as he gave his answer.  
  
Rowdy yawned as the orchestra began tuning up. "Is this some kinda opera or somethin'? Please tell me we aren't gonna be stuck here while your cousin sings some high-falutin' opera in a language we don't even know!"  
  
Scarlett glared at him. "No, Laurie's just gonna sing some songs. You'll like her. Really you will."  
  
Quince had fallen asleep, so Scarlett nudged him sharply in the ribs. "Is it over?" he asked sleepily.  
  
"You idiot!" boomed Mr. Favor. "It hasn't even started yet! Now shut up!"  
  
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The Opera House lights were lowered and the stage lights were lit; the curtains were drawn back, and the orchestra, seated at the rear of the stage, began playing. From the shadows came the sounds of a woman humming in counterpoint to the music. The humming grew louder and a woman walked slowly onto the stage. And what a beautiful woman she was!  
  
Scarlett almost shouted, "That's Laurie! That's my cousin!" He was grinning from ear to ear.  
  
He might as well not have spoken – none of his friends heard him. From trail boss to cook, all eyes were on the tall, slender woman in the red- sequined dress with a high collar, no sleeves, a fitted bodice and a clingy skirt – all of which accentuated her curves without being too immodest. She stood at the front and center of the stage and was bathed in the lights, giving her an almost surreal appearance. And when she launched into her first song of the evening, a lively tune, she strode back and forth across the stage, poised and confident.  
  
Scarlett couldn't help himself. He waved at her to catch her attention, ignoring Mr. Favor's admonition to put his hand down. Laurie stopped right in front of Scarlett and, mid-song, without missing a beat, pointed to him and flashed him a big smile. Rowdy thought it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen; he was immediately smitten.  
  
Gil Favor was not immune either. He looked at her curves, her creamy skin, her blond hair pulled back in a twist behind her neck, and he felt his heart jump. She seemed to be pulling him to her – a feeling he couldn't shake but which made him as nervous as a young school kid with his first crush on a girl.  
  
Quince, Wishbone, and Mushy, eyes agog, sat on the edge of their seats. They were obviously enchanted and became more so as Laurie changed from one song to another. There was no time for applause after each song, so quick were her segues. She smiled, she tossed her head, she twirled and leaned her head back, she walked the entire width of the stage so that everyone could see her. No person could say that she moved in a suggestive manner, but the tiny wiggle of her hips was completely and absolutely sensual.  
  
During the course of her performance, knowing that Scarlett and his "friends" were present, she would stop in front of each man periodically and point to him as though she were singing to just him. Wishbone looked at Mushy and was afraid that he would start drooling right on the spot. Scarlett looked at each of his friends and was elated to see that they were apparently spellbound. He himself was!  
  
When she had finished her performance, she backed up toward the orchestra and the curtain came down. So great was the applause – and because it lasted so long – she reappeared and continued to sing in her clear soprano voice that reached the very back of the Opera House. There were times when she hit and sustained notes with such volume that almost everyone had goose bumps. Clearly, she was very gifted.  
  
Her final song that night was a song about love – being frightened of it but looking forward to it also. Though she had lowered her voice, she could still be heard throughout the room. Slowly and gracefully, she walked down the steps from the stage to the landing just above the front row. Standing in front of Gil Favor, she reached out both hands to him. He had no idea what to do but she continued holding out her hands until he took them in his own. Very gently, she pulled him to his feet and continued to sing as she gazed down directly into his eyes.  
  
His mind raced. What is she doin'? What is she singin'? Somethin' about always being by his side; somethin' about she belonged to him; somethin' about wantin' him to teach her how to love. His heart pounded and he felt like they were the only people in the room.  
  
Very slowly she let her hands slip from his as she reached the crescendo of the song. By the time the trail boss had sat back in his seat, he was hearing her hit – and hold – an impossibly high note. She held the note so long, in fact, that the glass around the stage candles burst and the chandelier began to shake. The crowd didn't know whether too hide under their chairs or to just run away. And then the song was over. Although the applause was deafening, she sang no more. The curtain went up; she curtsied and then turned to point toward the orchestra. More applause. She smiled and seemed to laugh as she waved and curtsied again. Then the curtain came down and stayed down. Two hours had passed, yet it seemed like only minutes since the drovers had sat down.  
  
Scarlett was thrilled at the reaction of the audience, but he was more thrilled to see the looks on his friends' faces. They were obviously impressed – a fact which made him very proud. He looked at them and asked, "Would you like to meet her?"  
  
The drovers spoke with one voice: Yes! Mr. Favor, who couldn't seem to find his tongue for once in his life, could only nod. He could still feel the warmth and smoothness of her hands. And her eyes – there was something about her eyes that made his stomach flip-flop. He felt afraid of this woman and he didn't know why. He chided himself, saying that he hadn't been really interested in a woman since his wife died. But he couldn't make himself believe that Laurie was just a woman with the gift of a beautiful voice. And a beautiful body. He was totally attracted to her.  
  
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With a jerk of his head, Scarlett beckoned the men to follow him – and they ended up behind the stage at what turned out to be Laurie's dressing room. He whispered something to the man guarding the door and the man nodded, knocking on the door and saying that Laurie's cousin and his friends were here to see her. Was it all right to let them in?  
  
The door swung open and Laurie fairly leaped into Scarlett's arms, throwing her own arms around his neck and allowing him to swing her around. "Joe! Joe!" she laughed. "It's so good to see you! Thank you so much for coming!"  
  
Scarlett grinned from ear to ear. "Did you see me out there? I waved and everything."  
  
Again that lilting, contagious laughter from Laurie. "I saw you when you waved. I tried to sing extra good so you would be proud of me."  
  
"I'm always proud of you, Laurie," he answered as he hugged her again. "Even if you DID bust the lights on the stage."  
  
She gave a little giggle. "The manager dared me to do it. How could I refuse? You know what being dared does to me..." Then she looked over his shoulder at the waiting faces behind her cousin. "Well, don't just stand there! Come in! And bring those men with you and introduce me to them!"  
  
So caught up was he with Laurie, Scarlett had actually forgotten about his boss and fellow drovers. He blushed and apologized as they all entered Laurie's dressing room. One by one, introductions were made and Laurie shook hands with each man. When it came to introducing the last man in the room, Laurie put her fingers to Scarlett's lips. "Don't tell me. This has got to be 'Gilfavor'."  
  
She took the trail boss's hands and felt a shiver run up and down her spine. He was so tall, so ruggedly handsome, and had such ocean-blue eyes that she almost couldn't speak again. When she found her voice, she said, "I hope I didn't embarrass you too much out there."  
  
The big trail boss shook his head. "It's not somethin' I'll soon forget." He was startled by the deep green of her eyes and the genuine warmth he saw there. His pulse raced and he released her hands in confusion.  
  
Laurie beckoned the men to be seated and told them that Joe had talked about them often in his letters to her. "I feel like I know all of you," she said with a smile. "We have so much talking to do! Who knows when this opportunity will come again?" She paused. "I want to start with the trail boss." Her eyes sparkled impishly as she looked at the tall man with the ocean-blue eyes. "Do you know that I grew up thinking that 'Gilfavor' was all one word? I don't know if I can ever call you anything else! Joe started it all when he talked about you and then, when he wrote, I could swear he ran your first and last name together. The last time I saw him, he laughed at me and said that your name wasn't 'Gilfavor' – it was 'Gil Favor'. Two words. I'll try to get your name right from now on; if I don't, blame it on Joe."  
  
This confession brought a round of laughter from the men. Even "Gilfavor."  
  
Laurie spoke again. "I have a wonderful idea. Let's all go to supper! We can do our talking while we dig into a nice, big, juicy steak! The Madera House has been kind enough to invite me – and any friends I bring along – to dine there gratis after the show. Please say you'll come!"  
  
Mushy looked confused. "What does 'gratis' mean?" There was another round of laughter and Mushy turned red as a beet.  
  
"It's a snobby way of saying the food is for free," answered Laurie. "Let's take advantage of it while we can!"  
  
The dinner was agreed upon immediately – not because it was 'gratis' but because not one man wanted the evening to end. They were all enchanted with Scarlett's cousin.  
  
"Let me change clothes and wash this horrible makeup off my face first," Laurie said. "Then we can eat until we pop!"  
  
Scarlett began to herd everybody out of the room, but Laurie stopped him. "For Heaven's sake, Joe! I have a screen to undress behind! The only thing that's gross is getting all this junk off my face... Just stay where you are; I'll be out in a jiffy." Joe couldn't resist. "What if any of us wanna take a peek?" Laurie looked at him and wrinkled her nose. "Cousin Joe, you are one sick puppy!" With that, she disappeared behind the dressing screen. The men sat in silence, not knowing what to say or do. Gil Favor had a fleeting moment when he wondered what she looked like without her dress on and, when he looked at the drovers, he imagined they were thinking the same thing. He punched Rowdy in the arm, but Rowdy just grinned. He knew they were pondering the same thing.  
  
Out came Laurie with a dressing gown on. The men now were uncomfortable until Laurie giggled. "Men!" she said, shaking her head. "I have my dress on underneath this gown. I just don't want it to get wet when I wash my face." She sat down at the mirrored table and reached for a kettle of warm water that had been put there when the show was over. She poured the water into the basin and looked into the mirror and made a comical face. "All I need is an orange wig and a red nose and then I could run off and join the circus. All this stuff on my face is just plain nasty! But, if I don't wear it, then it looks like I have no face if you're sitting in the back rows of the building."  
  
Plunging her hands into the warm water and lathering them with soap, she began to scrub her face. Her mutterings and mumblings during this process made the men laugh again and soon her face was fresh, clean, and as creamy as it had been while she was on stage. She was still a beauty. She unwound her hair and ran her hands through it. "Ahh," she said with relief. "Does that ever feel wonderful!"  
  
She shed the dressing gown and stood up. The green dress she had put on brought out the green of her eyes. And her smile lit up the room. She had wanted to look nice for Joe and for these men, but she found that she was searching "Gilfavor's" face for approval. And she saw it there. And more. She felt the shiver in her spine again as his eyes met hers and seemed to look into her soul. She had been attracted to men before but never this intensely. There was silence in the room.  
  
Joe, bless him, was oblivious to what seemed to be passing between his cousin and his boss. "Let's eat!" he said with gusto. And so the happy group left the Opera House and walked toward the Madera House for what Mushy referred to as "free food!"  
  
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The Madera House was the finest restaurant in Abilene and was frequented by the city's finest and richest patrons. But this was the beginning of the Founder's Day festivities and there were throngs of people waiting to get inside; most of them had been to see Laurie's performance, and many of them were wearing tuxedos and evening gowns.  
  
Rowdy turned to his boss and whispered loudly, "We'll never get in the front door. And, besides that, we're not dressed proper."  
  
"We will get inside and we will be seated – remember that I told you I am invited along with any friends I wish to bring. And you're dressed just fine. Don't worry about a thing," Laurie interjected. With that, she took Mushy by one arm and Wishbone by the other and led the group through the crowd. The going was slow because it seemed that everybody wanted to stop her and congratulate her on her performance – but they finally did get through the door. The overweight maitre d's eyes lit up when he saw her, and he hurried over to welcome her and to extend his fleshy hand to her.  
  
"Welcome! Welcome!" he chortled. "We are so happy to have you here tonight. You are gracing our establishment with your lovely presence." His French accent sounded fake to Laurie, but she didn't care. She was hungry! But she decided to be gracious in return, so she smiled and said a simple, "Thank you. These are my friends and we need a table large enough for us all to be seated."  
  
The maitre d' took one look at the drovers and at their attire and it was apparent that he didn't want this class of men in his restaurant. The men fidgeted, and Gil Favor took Laurie's arm. "I don't reckon this is the kinda place we need to be in. If you don't mind, we'll go down the street to eat where our clothes are more appropriate."  
  
Laurie's eyes flashed at him momentarily. "Oh no you won't! You're my friends and we will eat here. I hear they have the finest steaks this side of the Missouri and I'm not going to miss out on anything that good!"  
  
Scarlett spoke up. "You better do as she asks, Mr. Favor. When she has her mind set on somethin', she's like a tornado in a tin can!"  
  
Laurie glanced around and found a table that would suit her just fine. The maitre d' was not pleased when she pointed and said, "That table will do just fine. May we be seated now?"  
  
The maitre d' began to splutter and, while he was trying to make up an excuse as to why they couldn't be seated there, Laurie dragged Wishbone and Mushy to the table. The other men looked at each other, shook their heads, and followed. Rowdy would swear 'til the day he died that Laurie called the maitre d' a "pompous ass." He tried to hide the grin on his face.  
  
After being seated, Laurie flashed her beguiling smile. "See, I told you that everything would be okay." The atmosphere, which had been tense, began to be relaxed. Until it was obvious that no menus were forthcoming. And there was no waiter to fill their water glasses. It was as though they were not sitting there in the middle of the room. A very quick frown crossed Laurie's face – only the trail boss saw it, and he wondered how this very unusual woman would handle the situation.  
  
Turning slightly in her chair, Laurie raised her hand and caught the maitre d's eye. It was apparent that he did not want to come to the table but come to the table he did. As he stood beside Laurie, she turned to look at the drovers seated around her. "Does anyone here speak French?" When she saw all the heads shaking in the negative, she addressed the maitre d' in fluent French. At first, the overweight man's cheeks turned pink. Then his entire face became florid and sweat popped out on his balding head. He opened his mouth to say something and then promptly shut it quickly. Grudgingly, he spun on his heels and disappeared.  
  
When Laurie turned to face the men seated around her, her green eyes were shooting sparks even though her face was placid. "Okay. All is well. There was just a minor misunderstanding that's been set to rights."  
  
Scarlett, who had been holding his face in his hands, peeked out between his fingers. "What did you say to him?"  
  
Looking quite innocent, and with the sparks disappearing quickly from her eyes, she answered. "I just told him we needed a waiter and some menus..."  
  
Scarlett shook his head. "I know you better than that. I know that look in your eyes and it always means trouble. And you spoke in a language that you know we don't understand. Now tell me what you said!" The men at the table all wanted to know but said nothing – they let Scarlett do the talking.  
  
The conversation was momentarily interrupted by a waiter who poured their glasses full of water. Laurie perused the menu and found that only wine was served here. She knew how Scarlett loved a cold beer and suspected that the other men felt the same way. As a matter of fact, she herself enjoyed a cold beer every now and then and asked the waiter if he might be able to get a keg from the nearest saloon. The waiter, a young man, had to admit that this had never been done before. Laurie graced him with a gentle smile. The young man, eager to please, of course had to get the maitre d's approval, and all eyes were on the two men. When the maitre d' looked toward Laurie, it was obvious that he was grinding his teeth in anger, but he nodded to both Laurie and to the waiter. Soon, there was very cold beer put in front of Laurie and her guests and she was the one to propose a toast. "To my cousin and my new friends, may the trails you take be easy ones and may the weather be kind and may your travels be safe." Glasses clinked and there were smiles all 'round.  
  
It was apparent to the trail boss that his men were enchanted by Laurie. He had to admit that he felt the same way. She had an air of confidence about her and she displayed a great amount of poise. He had never met anyone like her before and, the more he was around her, the more attracted he became. He wondered what it would be like to stroke her creamy skin, what it would be like to kiss her. Once again, he had to remind himself that she was quite out of his league. Why would a lady such as she be interested in him anyway?  
  
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The steaks were served and were as delicious as they had been touted to be. Laurie was an excellent listener and displayed quite a knack for getting each man to talk about himself. As a matter of fact, she had the men talking so much about themselves and each other that she said nothing about herself – a fact that went unnoticed by everybody except Gil Favor who had an overwhelming desire to know everything about her. She listened to their stories, sometimes laughed, sometimes made witty comments that made the men laugh too – but she always gave the impression that she was intensely interested. And she truly was interested. But she had ulterior motives. In practically every story that was told, she learned a little bit more about "Gilfavor" – the only man who spoke very little. When he wasn't aware of it, she was studying him – the ocean blue of his eyes, the frown lines in his forehead, the nose that had apparently been broken at one time and was slightly crooked. She looked at his mouth and wondered what it would feel like to be kissed by those lips. She had never felt such a strong attraction toward any man before and was confused by her strong feelings.  
  
The waiter brought the check for her to sign which she did – over the protestations of the drovers. She reminded them that the meals were gratis and her signing the piece of paper was for bookkeeping purposes only. Now it was time to leave, but Scarlett piped up and said he wouldn't budge an inch until he got an answer to the question that he had asked earlier. He wanted to know what Laurie had said to the maitre d'. The rest of the men refused to get up – they were curious also.  
  
Laurie looked down at the tablecloth and toyed with a corner of it as she thought how she would formulate her answer without causing embarrassment. She looked up and into the eyes of each drover. "I just told him that we weren't getting the service that the Madera House is noted for."  
  
Scarlett, knowing his cousin better than that, said, "We ain't movin' 'til you tell us exactly what you said!"  
  
Laurie took a deep breath and fidgeted slightly. She wrinkled her nose comically. "I just told him that he was being a snob and perhaps he should go outside and perform a physically-impossible act on himself."  
  
There was a stunned silence at the table, and then Scarlett and Quince burst into laughter. Pete and Wishbone laughed until their eyes watered. But it was the trail boss's deep laugh that touched her heart. She knew she had taken a chance by relating her off-color remark – that he might think less of her – but he obviously found great humor in the statement. Of course, poor Mushy had to ask Wishbone what Laurie's statement meant, and his asking caused another round of boisterous laughter. Wishbone's comment was, "Oh, Mushy! I'll explain it later!" Still laughing, the group finally left the restaurant having had a little too much beer, a good beefsteak, and excellent company. Needless to say, the maitre d' was delighted to see them make their exit...  
  
Outside in the cool air, Rowdy turned to Laurie. "I thought you'd be a snob. I mean, before we met you – being from the East and being a performer and all. But you're just like us. You're good people."  
  
Laurie knew what Rowdy was trying to say, and she knew it was quite a compliment. "Rowdy, that's the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me. Thank you." And she kissed him on both cheeks. He grinned at her and ducked his head, slightly embarrassed.  
  
They had reached Laurie's hotel. "I guess it's time to call it a night," Laurie said sadly. "I've had such a wonderful time. Would it be possible for all of us to get together again? It's the beginning of the Founder's Day festivities, and I would love for you to show me around and explain things to me. San Francisco was like being in New York. It's not what I would call the real West."  
  
A chorus of voices erupted, and it was decided that they all would see to it that she got the full tour. She clapped her hands in delight. And then, one by one, she kissed each man on the cheek as she said her goodnights. When she came to the last man, the tall trail boss, she gave him an impish grin, stood on tiptoe, put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him on both cheeks. "Good night, 'Gilfavor'," she said softly after her lips had grazed his skin. "And thank you."  
  
"Thank you!" was his reply. "See you tomorrow morning – maybe for breakfast? But not at the Madera House. I don't reckon they'd like to see us come back."  
  
The men could still hear the sound of her contagious laughter as the hotel door closed behind her. With smiles on their own faces, they walked to their hotel farther down the street. There was one tall man who could still feel the pressure of Laurie's hands on his shoulders and the warmth of her lips on his cheeks. He couldn't wait for tomorrow to get here.  
  
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Laurie was awakened early by the sound of someone knocking on her door. "Who is it?" she asked sleepily. "Gil," came the answer. "Gil who?" she retorted, her mind still fuzzy. There was a deep chuckle. "Gilfavor."  
  
Laurie jumped out of bed, threw on her dressing gown, and opened the door. She looked around for the rest of the group but saw no one but the trail boss. Her heart flip-flopped for the umpteenth time. "Is it morning already?" she asked, stalling for time and trying to hide her delight at seeing "The Boss" standing there alone.  
  
"It's time for breakfast. The other guys were asleep, but I'm hungry. No reason for me to eat alone." He grinned broadly. He didn't bother to tell her that he had literally sneaked out before the others had a chance to open their eyes.  
  
"Wait right here," Laurie instructed. "I'll be ready in a flash." She left the door slightly ajar, hurriedly brushed her hair and practically jumped into the first dress she could find. This was not a man she wanted to keep waiting. When she was ready, she opened the door, smiled, and took the arm of the waiting man. "See," she chortled, "I told you I wouldn't be long." Another broad grin and then they walked out of the hotel and down the sidewalk into a small restaurant redolent with the aroma of fresh- brewed coffee.  
  
The two were seated immediately, and Laurie pursed her lips, trying to hide a smile. "I rather miss our maitre d'," she giggled as she reached for the menu.  
  
"This ain't the most expensive place in town but it has the best breakfast," came the answer.  
  
"Do you come here a lot?" Laurie asked. And, before he knew it, the trail boss was doing most of the talking. What he had planned was to get Laurie talking about herself, but her green eyes staring into his had him off- balance and quite mesmerized. He heard himself talking a lot but couldn't stop.  
  
The door to the restaurant opened and in came the other drovers. Wishbone stood with his hands on his hips. "I shoulda knowed you'd sneak out on us. Well, just make room because we're sitting with you and Miss Laurie." Another table was pulled up and more chairs were grabbed as the men jockeyed for position at the small table.  
  
"I didn't sneak out on you. You were dead to the world, and I was ready to eat," muttered the boss.  
  
"Sure, sure," said a sarcastic Rowdy. "We'd a gotten up if you'd bothered to wake us."  
  
"You needed your beauty rest," came the succinct answer. And then Laurie had them all talking again. Finding out about this woman would just have to wait for another time.  
  
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By the time breakfast was over, the streets had grown crowded with booths of all kinds – everything from clothes to pies. There were contests to be entered, prizes to be won, and lots of things to buy. Laurie was entranced with the whole atmosphere. At Scarlett's suggestion, she bought two pair of jeans and some shirts, some boots, and a cowboy hat; Scarlett, of course, ended up carrying her purchases. Before she knew it, the crowd had thinned slightly – it was already time for lunch. But she was a wee bit disappointed when she learned that Wishbone and Mushy had to get supplies for the chuck wagon and that Rowdy and his boss had to check on the arrival of other drovers. She ended up having lunch with Scarlett while the rest of the men headed for the stockyard to check on the arrival of cattle being brought in for the trail drive. At her insistence, it was agreed that they would all meet up in the late afternoon at the stockyard – Laurie was curious to see what went on. She was most interested in seeing "Gilfavor" again...  
  
During lunch, she tried to pick Scarlett's brain about his boss, but Scarlett was not as forthcoming as Laurie would've liked. Scarlett spoke only about the trail boss he worked for, telling her stories about how Mr. Favor could be a hard taskmaster but that he was always a fair man. Even if he did get in a bad mood sometimes. After all, he had a lot on his mind. Laurie ended up knowing not much more than she did when lunch started.  
  
"If you're gonna meet us later," Scarlett told her, "you'd better wear those new jeans. You just can't wear a dress there – it'll be ruined in two seconds."  
  
So it was that Laurie went back to her hotel room to change clothes. She had never worn jeans in her life and had guessed at the size – fortunately, she had guessed well. The jeans were not too snug and not too large either. But the shirt she chose to wear was a wee bit too large and caused her to have to roll up her sleeves. Pulling on her new boots, she practiced walking in them and found that it wasn't much different than wearing the high heels she wore with her dresses. Peering into the mirror, she pulled her hair back into a long braid and pulled on the new cowboy hat – she was pleased with her entire look and hoped that a "certain man" would be impressed.  
  
Feeling like a completely different person, a woman more in tune with the West, she exited the hotel and walked down the street toward the store where she knew she would find Mushy and Wishbone. The appreciative glances thrown her way by the men she passed were not wasted on her – she felt like she "belonged" here. She had never felt this way back East and she began to think that Eastern city life just didn't suit her.  
  
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Approaching the store, she found Wishbone muttering to himself as he looked over his list of items to purchase and checked each item off as Mushy loaded the wagon. Mushy saw Laurie first, his eyes lit up and he stopped what he was doing. Wishbone looked first at Mushy to see what was holding things up and then followed the young man's eyes to see what he was grinning at. He grinned too when he recognized Laurie in her "new" clothes.  
  
"Well, you look just fine in your new duds!"  
  
"Do you really think so, Wishbone?" Laurie asked, pulling at her too-large shirt.  
  
"Miss Laurie, you look like you belong here," commented Mushy as he removed his hat. Laurie thought he was the dearest young man she had ever met.  
  
Wishbone scratched his beard. "What are you doing here? All the excitement and important stuff is going on at the stockyard."  
  
"As far as I'm concerned, what you two are doing is one of the most important things that can be done," Laurie answered, touching Wishbone's arm. "How well would a trail drive be run with no food and nobody to cook?"  
  
At this comment, Wishbone and Mushy puffed out their chests a wee bit. Nobody had ever acknowledged that their job was important, and Laurie had scored another gold star with them.  
  
"Will you show me what the wagon looks like inside? I want to see what you load up with."  
  
The two men were more than happy to show her – and the loading of items went faster because they had an appreciative audience. Laurie looked at the sacks of flour, corn meal, salt, and sugar. There were potatoes and onions and carrots, apples and a few oranges. There was baking soda and there was baking powder. There were pots and pans, plates and cups, and then there were the cooking utensils and the knives, forks and spoons. She shook her head in amazement. Every item seemed to have its own place in a wagon that appeared too small to hold so much.  
  
"You two must be geniuses to have everything so neatly arranged!" Laurie exclaimed. By this time the two men were strutting with pride.  
  
Wishbone, with a big smile, even showed her his "doctor's kit" which contained everything from iodine to bandages and splints. Even needles and thread to sew up wounds. And, of course, there was a bottle of whiskey. Laurie gave a questioning look to which Wishbone announced, "That's strictly for medicinal purposes." Laurie laughed. "I believe you!"  
  
"Miss Laurie," called Mushy. "Come look at my wagon!"  
  
Laurie climbed out of the chuck wagon and climbed into the supply wagon. There was axle grease – and lots of it. There were extra wheels and tools by the dozens. There were blankets for sleeping under and saddle blankets for the horses. There were extra pieces of leather to fix broken saddles and reins with. Laurie was impressed. "This is how you keep the drive going. You just take everything with you. But what happens when you run out of things?"  
  
Mushy answered before Wishbone could open his mouth. "Why, we just go to the nearest town and buy what we need. Or we just make do for a while."  
  
Laurie, who was formulating a plot, asked what towns they passed by on their way East and was given a long list of places – some names were slightly familiar to her and some weren't. "Why, you'll be passing places where we'll be performing," she lied. "I'll be able to see all of you somewhere along the trail – maybe several times!" Of course, she had no idea if she could talk her manager into stopping at some of these towns, but she could beg and wheedle and cajole if she had to.  
  
Both wagons were finally loaded to the brim, and Laurie was informed that they would be moving to the place where camp would soon be set up before the drive East. "We've only got a few more days before we hit the trail," Wishbone informed her. Laurie felt sadness deep in her heart. She didn't want the men to have to leave; there was one man she needed to spend more time with...  
  
----------  
  
The wagons wouldn't be near the stockyard, so Laurie declined the offer of a ride and decided to walk there all by herself. She continued to look at the booths in the street, she poked her head into some small shops, but she bought nothing. Continuing her walk, she smelled the stockyard before she got there – and she could hear the bawling of the cows and the neighing of the horses. Spying Quince, Scarlett, and Rowdy over by a corral full of horses, she headed in that direction and watched as they looked over the animals they would purchase to take on the drive.  
  
In a few minutes, she sidled up to Scarlett and touched his arm. "How do you know what you're looking for?" she asked.  
  
When Scarlett realized this was his cousin all decked out in jeans, hat and boots, he gave her the same grin she had seen on Wish and Mushy's faces.  
  
"I didn't even see you come up," he said. "You look like you fit right in." Laurie dimpled at him. "That's the whole idea: to fit in."  
  
Scarlett hollered at Rowdy and Quince who were in the middle of the corral. When they came over, Scarlett beamed. "Look who found us!" The men's appreciative glances delighted Laurie. And now she was full of questions about which horses they picked and why. Her questions were patiently answered and she learned a lot.  
  
----------  
  
Though she had been invited to go with Scarlett and his group as they took the horses away, Laurie wanted to go to the cattle pens right then. Finding Gil wasn't easy, but find him she did. And then she watched him as he made his business transactions. Laurie was fascinated. She didn't realize so much went into driving a herd of cattle!  
  
Slowly she worked her way over to stand by Pete. He didn't recognize her until she tugged gently on his sleeve and spoke to him. Startled at the familiarity of her voice but confused by her appearance, he ended up having to laugh. "You look just like the rest of the guys here," he finally said.  
  
"That's the whole idea," she answered for the umpteenth time that day. "I want to learn what's going on and that can't be done wearing a dress!" She wiped the dust out of her eyes and looked down at her clothes. She was as dirty as everybody else but she didn't care. She actually fit in with everybody else.  
  
Pete grabbed her arm with a grin and led her over to where the trail boss was standing. "Hey, boss, we have someone who needs a job."  
  
The "boss" barely looked around. "If he's got experience, hire him." He continued signing contracts.  
  
Pete grinned. "I'm not too sure about hiring this one," he whispered. "Better take a longer look."  
  
Sighing, and being a little put out by this distraction from business, the "boss" looked at Laurie and did a double take. For just a moment, a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Nope. Can't take that one. Too distractin'." And then he turned back to his transactions. Then there was the final tally to be made. Thousands of cattle passed through chutes as sellers and trail bosses made their count and then compared the numbers. Gil ended up with three thousand head – a large herd but not of a size he had never handled.  
  
Gil finally turned his attention to Laurie and Pete. Laurie knew she was dirty from head to foot, and slapped gently at Gil's hand as he tried to clean her face off. He grinned. She hissed at him, "Stop that grinning right now!"  
  
"I ain't grinnin'," was the answer. It was Pete who suggested they hit the nearest saloon for some cold beer. Pete looked at his boss, "But I don't think Laurie should go. It ain't no place for a lady."  
  
Both men perused her appearance. "Ah, she's so dirty, nobody'll know the difference. She can go with us – she'll be safe," came the boss's answer.  
  
And so it was that Laurie ended up in a saloon, drinking beer with the rest of the guys. When they talked their "drovers' lingo," she understood most of it and could discuss the events of the day with the ability that comes from paying close attention. She took the ribbing they gave her about her dirty appearance good-naturedly and fired back, snickering, that they didn't look any better. No offense was taken on either side.  
  
Rowdy was the man who put into words what some of the others had been thinking. "You know, you seem to fit in with things out here."  
  
Laurie felt like she did fit. She loved the openness of the land, loved the fresh air, loved being around the horses and the cattle. Her life in the East seemed very distant with its tall buildings and bustling activity and crowded streets and stages and managers. She didn't miss it at all.  
  
----------  
  
The Madera House was not the restaurant chosen for supper that evening. The group went straight to yet another place that they frequented while in town – the Drovers' Diner. The only requirement here was that the diners washed their hands and faces at the pump at the small alcove outside. Laurie waited her turn to wash and then walked in with the men. No hats had to be removed in here. No spurs had to be removed. The tables were long wooden planks piled high with food where each person could help himself to as much as he wanted. Laurie's eyes widened.  
  
"This ain't the Madera House," a voice whispered in her ear. The way her skin prickled as his lips touched her ear lightly, she knew who the speaker was without even having to look. His drawl and deep voice were distinct.  
  
"Thank God!" she answered without looking at the speaker. "This is much better!" And she began filling her plate happily as she heard his deep chuckle.  
  
At some point, Laurie's braid slipped out from under her hat – a fact which didn't go unnoticed by one strange man sitting at the long table behind her. (He was what would be called a "dandy" here in the West). Standing up in his too-clean fancy clothes, he loudly announced, "Hey, there's a woman in this room! I didn't know we allowed wimmin in here!" Eyes looked all around and finally fell on Laurie. It was not only the braid that gave her away but the curves that could be discerned under her man's shirt. Scarlett and Quince stopped eating, and Rowdy and Gil Favor's faces grew dark. Laurie turned to look at the man and answered. "There sure is a woman in this room. I think you're it! Now sit down and eat and mind your manners!" Laurie turned back to her plate and continued to eat, completely unperturbed.  
  
The room erupted in laughter. Wishbone choked on his food, and Rowdy nearly fell over backwards. Scarlett just mumbled "tornado in a tin can."  
  
The unknown man's faced turned red, and he heard another man shout from the far end of the room, "Aw, shuddup, Milton, and do what she says!"  
  
Laurie looked across the table at Pete and Gil Favor. She mouthed "Milton?" and rolled her eyes comically. This caused more explosive laughter at her table and caused a pair of blue eye to look at her in merriment.  
  
Milton sat down and said no more. Feeling a pat on her back, Laurie turned slightly as another dusty stranger spoke. "You stand your ground, li'l lady. You're as welcome in here as anybody is. And probably more welcome than some." He looked over at Milton and grinned. Laurie favored this stranger with one of her brilliant smiles.  
  
It was Rowdy who, when the eating was done, spoke up. "I think you should be a kinda 'unofficial drover.' You know how to handle yourself, you walk the walk, and you're learning to talk the talk." Heads all nodded in agreement. He continued, "Boss, why don't we invite her to come out to our camp and spend some time with us before we hit the trail? She can ride out to our camp tomorrow and learn some more stuff."  
  
"Okay by me," came the answer.  
  
"I can't," Laurie answered. "But thank you for the kind offer."  
  
Wishbone jumped in. "Well, why can't ya?"  
  
Laurie looked uncomfortable. "I...uh...I don't know how to ride."  
  
The table went into a stunned silence. Mushy, trying to make things better, looked at her. "Miss Laurie, everybody knows how to ride. Even me!" For this comment, Mushy got an elbow to the ribs from Quince.  
  
Laurie's face went florid. She was rescued by Scarlett. "We can teach you to ride, can't we Mr. Favor?"  
  
All eyes focused on the boss as he chewed the last of his steak thoughtfully. "Don't see why not. Unless she's afraid of horses."  
  
Laurie didn't see the twinkle in his eyes. "I am most certainly not afraid of horses!" she lied. She wasn't afraid of riding horses; she was terrified of riding them.  
  
"Good," came the boss's answer. "The men are goin' out to camp tonight to watch over the herd. I have some business to settle tonight, and I'll take you out to camp in the mornin'." He could tell by the expression on her face that Laurie didn't want to say yes but had no other choice if she wanted to stay in the drovers' good graces.  
  
"Fine with me," Laurie said tensely. "Just tell me what time."  
  
"Sunup," came the succinct answer.  
  
Having eaten a hearty meal, the tired men rose from the table. Outside the restaurant, with waves of goodnight, all the men except the boss headed for their horses. Feeling a strong hand take her elbow, Laurie looked up into that rugged face with the blue eyes. "I'll walk you to your hotel," he said.  
  
Laurie stopped for a moment. "I have a question. The men call you 'boss' or 'Mr. Favor'. What am I supposed to call you?"  
  
There was a deep chuckle. "Whatever comes natural to ya." He walked her down the street and opened the hotel door, still chuckling. Laurie snorted at him. "Good night, Gil." He touched the brim of his hat, spun on his heels, and walked away. He was laughing.  
  
----------  
  
Sleep didn't come easily to Laurie that night. She had two things running around in her mind that kept her awake. The first thing was about horses – and the riding thereof. She knew she had no fear of the animal itself, but sitting on one and trying to hang on if it moved faster than a walk made her break out in a cold sweat. She was extra glad now that she had watched the men saddle their horses, watched how the cinch was tightened, and how to put one's foot in the stirrup and swing into the saddle. She had paid close attention as to how the reins were handled – at least she had an idea of how to make a horse stop! But thinking and doing were two different things and she didn't want to make a fool of herself. Especially in front of Gil.  
  
Gil. He was the second part of why she couldn't sleep. She was now familiar with his mannerisms such as the way he drawled in that deep voice, the cadence of his speech. He had an endearing habit of pushing his hat back on his head when he was in deep thought. He walked – and rode – with an easy masculine grace. His ocean-blue eyes seemed to look right through her and make her skin prickle. She thought about his tanned face, his slow grin, the shape of his mouth. Though she had been courted by many men back East, Gil was the first man she felt a special chemistry with. Maybe his language wasn't school-perfect, but his manners were impeccable. When she was around him, she felt protected and safe. But they were walking different paths and the chances of seeing him again were slim.  
  
Sighing, she punched her pillow and tried to get comfortable. It was useless. When she did sleep, it was fitfully. In the morning, she would have to face both Gil and a horse.  
  
----------  
  
True to his word, Gil knocked on her door as the sun was coming up. But this time, she was dressed and ready to go. "Mornin'," he said in his usual laconic way. "Breakfast?"  
  
Casually, she answered that she was hungry – which she wasn't – and that breakfast would suit her just fine. Secretly, she was dreading what would come after breakfast – the riding lessons. They walked to the restaurant, and Gil seated her. When their food was served, she took one look at the food and felt her stomach lurch. Gil was a master at watching people of every kind – he knew body language, and hers said that she was afraid. He said nothing but carried on polite conversation about the drive, where they would go, what they did on the trail, and what they would do at the end of the trail. It was at this time that Laurie discovered that he would be going to Philadelphia to see his daughters, and she wanted to know more. But she had dragged her feet long enough and soon they were headed for the stable.  
  
Gil had already picked a horse out for her before he went to her hotel. It was a beautiful bay mare with soft eyes whose name was Bonnie. Laurie looked at the animal and reached out to stroke her velvety nose. "Hello, Bonnie. I hope we're gonna be friends." Laurie tried to show a confidence that she definitely didn't feel.  
  
Gil handed her the reins and, taking hold of the reins of his own horse, they walked out of the stable into a bright, beautiful morning. Laurie gave an involuntary shiver. She stopped.  
  
"Gil," she began. "Is there a place where we can go where nobody will be watching us? I'm feeling very self-conscious right now."  
  
Trying to hide a smile, Gil answered, "You? Self-conscious? You can sing in an Opera House full of people and you're worried about being watched learning to ride?" He shook his head.  
  
"I've been singing in front of people all my life. Besides, the stage lamps practically blind me and keep me from seeing too much of the audience." She looked down sheepishly. "I don't want anyone to laugh at me while I'm learning and making a fool of myself."  
  
Gil put both his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. She saw a gentleness in his eyes that she'd never seen before. "I know where we can go and not be watched. You'll do just fine, you'll see." He continued to look into her eyes. "But if the horse knows you're afraid, you'll get nowhere. Tell me now whether you want to do this or not. We can always take a buggy out to camp."  
  
He rubbed her shoulders lightly. She knew this was something she wanted to do – for him. Patting Bonnie's nose again, and rubbing her glossy neck, Laurie smiled and answered sassily, "If you're waiting on me, you're backing up!" She walked forward and found that Gil was right in step with her. He led her to a meadow on the outskirts of town where the grass was lush and flowers grew abundantly. Laurie decided it would be a soft place in case she fell out of the saddle.  
  
Gil stopped and tied his horse to a small tree. "Ready?" He never waited for her to answer; he just turned her to face the saddle. "Now, put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your right leg over the saddle." Laurie gritted her teeth. She managed to get her foot in the stirrup but couldn't, for the life of her, get enough momentum to get airborne and swing her other leg over the horse's back. She felt Gil's eyes on her, heard a low chuckle, and felt his hand on her backside giving her a boost as she gave it one last try. She was finally sitting on a horse for the very first time! Sitting on Bonnie's back, being so far up in the air, was both exhilarating and frightening.  
  
It was now that Gil adjusted the stirrups, letting them down a couple of notches to accommodate her long legs. "Gilfavor!" Laurie hissed. "Couldn't you have done that before I tried getting on this beast?"  
  
"Yep. Coulda. Just wanted to see if you would keep tryin' or give up. Look at where the stirrups are in relationship to the horse. That's where you want your stirrups to be all the time."  
  
Laurie sneered at him even as he instructed her in how to hold the reins and how to gently nudge Bonnie's flanks to move her into a walk. The feeling was alien but in a nice way. Maybe this would be fun after all! Within a few minutes, Laurie could make Bonnie walk, turn left and right, back up, and stop. No "maybe" about it – this was definitely fun!  
  
Until it came time to trot. Bouncing and thumping and sliding around in the saddle while trying to control the horse's direction was awful. She realized that Gil was right next to her – he had gotten on his horse while she was bouncing around like an idiot. Now he was telling her to grip with her knees and to follow Bonnie's rhythm. Something easier said than done. She looked over at Gil, trotting beside her and he certainly did not bounce! "You're too tight in the hips," he said. "Relax and let your hips move in rhythm with Bonnie's trot." Laurie's face was one of sheer concentration, but she tried to relax and let her hips move. The bouncing was not nearly so bad and she began to involuntarily relax more. Was it possible that she was actually becoming comfortable a little bit?  
  
Now it was time to graduate to a canter – Gil promised her that this would be infinitely more comfortable. He hadn't lied to her so far, so she paid close attention as he told her to stretch her legs forward in the stirrups and keep her heels down. "What if I fall?" Laurie asked worriedly. "You'll get back up and try again. You won't get hurt." Hissing at the man, Laurie half-muttered, "No, I won't get hurt. The fall will cause me to have a heart attack and then I'll be dead!"  
  
But she wouldn't – couldn't – give up now. Remembering what Gil had told her, she nudged Bonnie from a walk into a trot and then into a canter. She felt herself sliding all over the saddle and grabbed the saddle horn for stability. To Gil's surprise, this game woman wasn't gonna quit. She was gonna ride or die trying. "Remember to rock your hips to this rhythm also," Gil called as they loped across the meadow. "And keep your legs and feet in front of you!"  
  
Laurie didn't see him stop and watch her, his practiced eye appraising her efforts. She was doing a damn fine job, even if she did reach for the saddle horn every now and then. But she would always let go and return both hands to the reins. He smiled. But the smile turned to concern when he saw that Bonnie had launched herself into a full gallop, and he headed for the runaway horse. When he was a little ahead, he grabbed for Bonnie's reins and pulled her to a stop.  
  
"Why in the world did you stop me?" Laurie shouted. "We were doing just fine!"  
  
Surprised, Gil looked at her. "You did that by yourself?"  
  
"Well, of course!" Laurie made a face at him.  
  
"You're not ready for a full gallop yet," Gil shouted. "You coulda been hurt!"  
  
Laurie glared at him. "The only time I could've been hurt was in trying to get into the saddle to begin with. You almost pushed me clear over the horse's back!"  
  
The look on Gil's face was so funny that Laurie couldn't say anything else. She just threw back her head and laughed. "I rode, Gil! I actually rode! Can we do it some more?"  
  
"No more galloping today," he grinned. "You'll know why in a little while."  
  
Puzzled, Laurie nudged Bonnie into a trot and then a canter – and Gil was at her side the whole time. The look of sheer joy on Laurie's face almost took Gil's breath away. What a beautiful sight she made with the wind blowing through her hair and the look of confidence in her whole body. Gil felt a heat rising in him and he decided to concentrate on where they were going instead of on what Laurie looked like.  
  
----------  
  
Near a copse of trees ran a small creek – the perfect place to stop, let the horses rest and drink some water. Gil dismounted first and, as he let his horse drink, he saw Laurie fall to the ground. Rushing to her side, he found her having a giggling fit. "My legs don't seem to work right. I think I'm gonna be bowlegged for the rest of my life!" Between fits of laughter – both his and hers – she explained that her left leg had given way as she swung her right leg over the saddle as she was dismounting.  
  
Still laughing a wonderfully deep laugh, Gil asked if she was hurt. "The only thing that hurts is my pride." Pause. "And my butt!" She was overtaken by another fit of giggles as Gil helped her to her shaky feet. She rolled her eyes. Now she understood his earlier comment of knowing why she didn't need to gallop a lot. Her legs and her backside were groaning. "I can't believe you do this every day for months! Don't you get tired of it all?"  
  
"Sometimes. But it's my job."  
  
Gil sat down easily by the creek; Laurie, he noticed, sat down very gingerly. She leaned over, scooped some cold water into her mouth and splashed it across her face. "I can't believe I was so afraid of riding," she admitted. "I really was, you know."  
  
"I know. But you did it and you did it well. You're a quick learner. I'm proud of you."  
  
Hearing this, Laurie beamed. Praise from Gil meant everything to her. She smiled happily and stretched out on her back in the lush grass. She was quiet as she thought of the morning's events. Gil watched her and saw the look of happiness on her face. He couldn't help himself – his eyes wandered over her body and took in its shapeliness. He felt the heat rising in himself again. What he felt was more than just physical desire – there was an emotional desire that he had thought had died a long time ago.  
  
Just then Laurie looked at his face and saw a very strange expression there. "What's the matter?" she asked. He shook his head and picked a nearby flower which he put behind her ear. His hand cradled her cheek gently. Blue eyes gazed into green ones for several moments; not a word was spoken, but the two people felt something passing between them – something warm and tender. The spell was abruptly broken when Gil rose to his feet and reminded Laurie that he had a herd to tend to. Disappointed, Laurie struggled to her feet and took Bonnie's reins. The way that Gil was looking at her made the hair on her arms stand up – in a good way. She knew he was feeling what she was feeling, but she also knew this was not the right time for anything further to happen.  
  
Touching the flower in her hair, she swung up onto Bonnie's back – it took only two tries and no help from Gil. A definite improvement. Wordlessly, the man and the woman rode out to where Wishbone had made camp.  
  
-----------  
  
Mushy was the first man to see the two riders approaching. "Hey, Mr. Favor and Miss Laurie are here!" He bent to put more wood on the fire, and Wishbone was attaching a side of beef onto a large spit to hang over the fire.  
  
Arriving at camp, and being careful to dismount without falling down, Laurie looked joyous. "I can ride, Mushy!"  
  
"I knew you could do it," came the reply from Mushy. Wishbone walked up and smiled and congratulated her. "Ridin' ain't that hard. 'Sides, Mr. Favor is a good teacher."  
  
Gil dismounted and had trouble controlling the smile on his face. He didn't want to make a big deal out of Laurie's accomplishment because only he knew how afraid she had been. "She's a good student," was all he said as he handed both sets of reins to Hey Soos and introduced him to Laurie.  
  
"Mucho gusto," said Laurie as she extended her hand.  
  
Hey Soos was so charmed that this woman spoke Spanish that he almost forgot to shake her hand. "?Te gusta su caballa?" he asked.  
  
"!Me gusta mucho!" Laurie answered emphatically. The two spoke briefly, Laurie rubbed her backside, and Hey Soos laughed, then took the horses away.  
  
"What was that all about?" asked Pete as he walked up.  
  
"He asked if I liked my horse and I told him that I liked her very much. He likes that I speak a little Spanish, too. And he laughed when I told him that my fanny hurt."  
  
"What about your...uh...fanny?" quizzed Scarlett who had just ambled up.  
  
The only comment Laurie made, winking at Gil, was, "Saddles should be made of sheepskin instead of hard leather!"  
  
Gil thought, as this comment brought a round of laughter, that Laurie was one of the wittiest women he had ever met. She always made the men feel at ease and the smiles and laughter came easily to them all when she was around. He wanted to stay with her, spend more time with her, but he had to check on the new hands and get the branding started. Excusing himself, he walked away.  
  
Laurie was left to her own resources and was told she had the run of the camp. What had at first appeared to be mass confusion turned out to be well-orchestrated chaos. Hey Soos tended to the horses – tying up some as riders came in and then seeing that the men had fresh remounts as they headed back out to the herd. Wishbone and Mushy had hot coffee going all the time, and there were stacks of fresh sandwiches to eat for whoever was hungry. There was a constant coming and going of drovers and each one seemed to know what he was doing and what he would be doing next. Laurie was greatly impressed as she sat on a log and watched, drinking some coffee and eating a sandwich. For each new man she met, she made a determined effort to remember his name – fortunately she had a good memory, for there were about fourteen faces that were unfamiliar to her. And fourteen times, either Mushy or Wishbone had to explain who Laurie was and what she was doing there. Her smile endeared her to each man she had shaken hands with.  
  
Eager to see what Gil was doing, she approached Wishbone who explained to her about the branding of the cattle and the reason it was being done. "We have to have our own brand in case some of the beeves wander off or if there's a stampede and we have to round 'em up or if there's another herd close by then we know which are ours."  
  
Laurie looked a little shocked. "But the branding seems so...barbaric! Putting a red-hot branding iron to an animal's flesh must be excruciating!"  
  
"Oh, Miss Laurie," broke in Mushy, "it don't hurt 'em for long. They just get right back up and run back to the herd."  
  
Laurie looked doubtful. "I'd like to go watch for myself."  
  
Both Wishbone and Mushy shook their heads. "Ain't no place for no lady to be right now."  
  
"I'd stay out of the way," Laurie tried again.  
  
"You stay right here," was Wish's admonition.  
  
Of course, Laurie did not stay there. She sneaked away, got Bonnie from Hey Soos, and headed for the biggest cloud of dust in the area. This had to be where the branding was taking place. And she was right. Her arrival went unnoticed for quite a while and, before she watched the actual branding process, she watched as the men on their cutting horses singled out a steer, roped it, and half-dragged it toward the smoke of what obviously was a big fire. Again, the bawling and mooing of the cattle was almost deafening, and again she had a nose and mouthful of dirt and dust. But she was entranced at seeing how well the drovers sat their saddles – man and horse moved as one unit.  
  
The wind blew her way, and she could smell the burning of hair and skin. She almost changed her mind about watching the branding process but decided that it was something she needed to see. This time, her dismount from Bonnie was almost perfect. Tying the horse carefully to a nearby tree limb, Laurie ambled over to stand closer to the fire. She spotted Gil immediately – dusty and sweaty and fixated on his work. He turned only when he realized that there were no steers coming to him and that the men's eyes had looked to a point a little behind him. He turned and there was Laurie. And he was not happy.  
  
"Go back to camp," he growled. "This ain't no place for no woman!"  
  
"You told me I could do whatever I wanted to do. And this is something I want to see," she answered.  
  
"Suit yourself." Gil turned and shouted, "Let's get these beeves branded! We ain't got all day!"  
  
Laurie was upset that Gil was so gruff with her – until she saw the first heifer get branded. Then she knew she shouldn't be there, but she was bound to stick it out. She had made a point of staying, and she had to stick to her words. But it was gruesome, and the smell got to her after she had watched for a few minutes. She could hear ringing in her ears and was seeing spots in front of her eyes. I will not faint. I won't! Bending over and palming a small pebble, she sat down and spent quite a while with her head down while she pulled off her boot. When she could see again, and when the ringing in her ears had stopped, she pretended to drop the pebble out of her boot. It looked completely innocent and natural and not one man, not even Gil, knew the real reason that she had to sit down and lean over. Sauntering over to Bonnie, Laurie swung into the saddle on the first try, waved at some of the drovers, and headed back to camp. Halfway there, where no one could see her, her stomach lurched and up came her half-digested sandwich. Branding was not something she figured she would ever get used to.  
  
----------  
  
The sun was low on the horizon when Wishbone had supper ready. He had fixed a fine meal of beef, potatoes, carrots and onions, and the men were lining up eagerly, plates in one hand and coffee mugs in the other. Laurie hung back, blending into the background, as she watched the men fill their plates and then find a place to sit and eat. She wanted to watch everything but, at Rowdy's bidding, she finally got her own plate filled and sat down with the ramrod, Gil, and Toothless. She couldn't remember a time when she had been happier and, quietly, she listened to the different conversations going on around her. Trail talk that she was beginning to understand. Pete walked up and gave her a smile, then turned to discuss the trail and where the best graze and water would be found at this time of year. Toothless had gone back for more food and had joined in with the group around Scarlett and Quince to talk about the drives they had been on before. Slowly, as one group of men finished eating, another group took its place, and there were more stories to be told. Laurie learned some funny things about how the "old hands" played tricks on each other and how the "new hands" got their revenge. She learned that men on the trail died, were buried and had to be left behind with only a hastily-made cross to mark their resting place. She learned about stampedes and how dangerous they were. She felt like her mind was a sponge – soaking up infinite amounts of information that she would probably never hear again.  
  
Gil looked at her and smiled. So quiet had she been that he had forgotten she was there. How could I have forgotten her? Knowing that the hour was growing late and that Laurie would be riding back to town by herself, Gil felt himself worrying. He had to stay with his men, and he really couldn't spare anybody to ride back with her. He knew that he would be saddling up soon to check the herd – and the nighthawks – to be certain that all was well. And he really didn't want her to leave at all. The sunshine and laughter that she brought into camp made everything so special...  
  
Rowdy saved the day without knowing it. "Hey, boss, it's gettin' too late for Laurie to go back to town. Why don't we give her a bedroll and let her stay with us tonight?"  
  
Gil was elated that Rowdy had brought up the subject. Gil had been thinking along the same lines himself but was loath to say anything – he didn't want to appear too obvious. He nodded at Rowdy and then turned a questioning eye toward Laurie.  
  
Her eyes opened wide and her brilliant smile was their answer even before she opened her mouth. "Oh, could I please stay? I won't get in the way, I promise!"  
  
Gil pretended to look like he couldn't make up his mind if it was a good idea or not. "You could bed down in the supply wagon, I reck'n."  
  
Laurie's face fell. "Can't I sleep out under the stars like the rest of you?" Her eyes twinkling, she added, "I promise not to snore and keep everybody awake."  
  
Gil had to smother a chuckle, and Rowdy's smile spread from ear to ear. "C'mon, boss. If she snores, we can wake her up and let her ride late nighthawk."  
  
"Okay, okay," came the boss's answer. "We'll fix you a place by the fire. Nights get cold around here." With that, he stood up and walked over to Wishbone to return his plate and to tell Mushy know that Laurie would be staying until morning. Laurie was elated and reached for Rowdy's hand. "Thank you for your help." The grin that came her way was answer enough.  
  
They both returned their plates to Wishbone and Mushy; Laurie complimented the two men on the meal. "I do believe this is the best food I've ever eaten!" she said emphatically. "Now I want to help clean up." Both men protested but finally had to give in. Laurie wanted to experience the whole gamut of a drive, even to washing the dishes. So it was that she and Mushy walked down to the creek, and she learned that soap and sand made the cookware and plates spotlessly clean – well, maybe just a little gritty. She also had time to pump the unsuspecting Mushy for information on the trail boss – some things she knew, some she didn't. She knew that Gil had two daughters in Philadelphia, but she didn't know that the girls' mother had died during the war. She knew that the girls lived with a woman, but she didn't know that "Eleanor" was the girls' aunt. She found out that Gil had not had a true relationship with a woman for as long as Mushy could remember. Apparently Gil spoke very little about his personal past before he became a trail boss. What a waste. He's such a good man with such a good heart. Any woman would be proud to be a part of his life. An important part.  
  
Arriving back at camp, Laurie looked around but didn't see either Rowdy or Gil. Wishbone informed her that the two men had already left camp to check on the herd. Laurie decided that she would go out and find one or the other – if she found Rowdy, she would pry information out of him. If she found Gil, she would lead him into a personal conversation. She headed for the remuda and greeted Hey Soos in Spanish. "Buenos noches." Hey Soos was delighted to see her and even more delighted to carry on a conversation in his native tongue. Laurie actually saddled Bonnie herself, under the watchful eye of Hey Soos. Her bones and muscles ached from the long day – especially when she had to throw the saddle over Bonnie's back – but she did her best to ignore the discomfort and did a good job of saddling up. Off she went, hopefully to find Gil.  
  
Three thousand head of cattle take up a lot of room to ride around. It was dark now, and Laurie had trouble discerning faces, so she talked to every drover she came upon. She never did find Rowdy, but she did find Gil (much to her great happiness). He turned as she rode up beside him. "What're you doin' here?" he asked. "It's dark and you could get lost."  
  
Laurie snorted. "I wanted to see what goes on out here at night."  
  
Gil threw a leg over the saddle horn and began rolling a cigarette. Laurie wanted to try to swing a leg over too but decided she might fall off, so she just sat and looked around.  
  
"The beeves are bedded down for the night," Gil spoke as he lit his cigarette. He took a long drag and exhaled through his nose (which, for some reason, Laurie thought was extremely sexy). He pushed his battered hat back on his head and looked around. He wanted to talk to Laurie but had no idea what to say. So they sat in an awkward silence for several minutes – a silence that drove Laurie crazy. She blurted out something that she had no intention of ever mentioning: "Why haven't you gotten married again?"  
  
Gil wrinkled his forehead and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Ain't had time. Nor inclination." He paused. "What's your excuse for not being married at all!"  
  
And Laurie found herself talking instead of asking questions. "I guess I'm just too picky. I'm busy with my singing; I guess there's just not enough time for a social life." Thinking about what she'd just said, she didn't want Gil to get the impression that she was a "wall flower" who never did anything, so she added, "I fell in love once. But the man didn't love me back. I got my heart broken, and now I'm not willing to stick my neck out again." But I might stick it out for you if you gave me any sign that you were interested.  
  
"The man must've been a fool," was all Gil said as he swung his leg back into the stirrup. He looked at her hard. "A real fool." He turned his horse abruptly and, with her mouth slightly agape, Laurie rode by his side in silence as they headed back to camp.  
  
----------  
  
Some of the drovers were playing cards, some were sitting and talking, and Joe was teaching a melody on his harmonica to a new hand who was trying to pick up the tune on his guitar. For a moment, Laurie was taken back to a time when her parents were alive. She hadn't heard this song for years, and her eyes misted as she remembered her father playing this same melody on his old violin. Silently, Laurie glided over to her cousin and sat down to listen and to remember. Sam was an excellent guitar player and soon he had all the chords learned and played them with ease. Without even thinking, Laurie began to hum as the two men played, her voice as smooth as any instrument would've been. The card-playing stopped; all talking stopped as the drovers listened in fascination. How beautiful was this melody! And, for the first time, Laurie didn't have her mind on Gil; her concentration was on the music as she added a little harmony or a little counterpoint. Gil watched her face and saw a sadness there but also a serenity and peace that he hadn't seen before.  
  
When the music stopped, there was a silence in the camp and then great applause. Laurie came back to present time and felt herself blushing. Toothless begged the men to play some songs familiar to them – cowboy songs that had been passed from drover to drover for many years. Joe and Sam began playing as requested; Laurie sang along when she knew the songs. Even the trail boss looked like he was singing. Some of the tunes were lively and some were sad and lonely – Laurie enjoyed every one of them.  
  
The hour grew late and, after the singing of one last song, some drovers settled into their bedrolls while some went out to take their turn at nighthawk duty. Laurie looked around for Gil and spotted him walking away from camp. She wasn't sleepy and she still wanted to talk to him so she followed him to a small rockfall and watched as he rolled, then lit, a cigarette. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to him and asked if she could sit down with him for a while. With a nod of his head as he inhaled the cigarette smoke, Laurie sat down rather gingerly.  
  
"Saddlesore?"  
  
"Some," she lied.  
  
"Wait til tomorrow." Gil grinned.  
  
Laurie rolled her eyes and looked at the sky. There were a lot of clouds but some stars managed to shine through. The two sat in a comfortable silence.  
  
"What're you doin' here?" The question was so abrupt that Laurie was startled.  
  
"What do you mean 'What am I doing here'," she answered.  
  
Gil exhaled through his nose. "I mean, why are you out here when you could be in town, wearin' fancy dresses, and eatin' at the Madera House with men in suits who would love to wine and dine you? Why are you here, washin' your face and hands in a stream, eatin' food cooked over an open fire, watchin' beeves get branded and ridin' that horse til you're achin' in every joint? This ain't the kinda company you're used to bein' around."  
  
Laurie's first instinct was that Gil was making fun of her – maybe he was thinking that she was just "slumming" for kicks. Uncharacteristically, she thought before she spoke and was glad. Somehow she understood that Gil thought he and his drovers weren't good enough for her and that he was embarrassed. She watched as he tilted his hat back on his head and drew on his cigarette. He wouldn't look at her, but she turned to face him anyway.  
  
"It's not something I can explain," she began. "It's so different out here in general. There's the sky, and the wide-open spaces; there's the trees and the grass and the rocks. And the generosity of the people. Back East, all you can see are buildings and snobby people – well, for the most part. And half the time, I can't even see the stars." She paused and took another breath. "As for being here with all of you in camp, well... Every man is genuine. Each one is honest and fun and each one watches out for his friends. I'm feeling like I'm a part of something and I like it. I like it much better than being back East." She stopped talking. "I'm not putting this very well, I guess."  
  
Gil turned to look at her and saw the earnestness in her face. "You're puttin' it very well. And you do fit in. Like you were born to it."  
  
Laurie felt her heart soar. Then she sighed quietly.  
  
"Got a problem?"  
  
Another sigh. "In two days, you'll all be gone. Even though I'll be heading East, I don't know when I'll ever see this great bunch again. I care deeply about all of you." Her eyes met his and she hoped he understood her meaning.  
  
He hoped he understood her meaning. He wanted to believe that perhaps he had a special place in her heart and that maybe they could work out something where they could meet on their ways back East. But he couldn't find the words to tell her what was on his mind.  
  
Instead, they just sat and talked about other things. For the first time, Gil managed to prod Laurie into talking about herself. He opened with, "Scarlett calls you a tornado in a tin can."  
  
Throwing her head back and laughing with delight, Laurie said, "I was a holy terror in my younger years. I was an only child and the kids I hung around with were all boys. I could beat up every one of them or scare them into running home. I have an awful temper and sometimes things just fall out of my mouth before I have a chance to think."  
  
Gil grinned. "Like what you said to the maitre d' at the Madera House?"  
  
Laurie felt her face get hot. Sheepishly she nodded her head but added, "I could have said more had I not bitten my tongue. Literally."  
  
They both laughed. How she loved Gil's laugh – it was hearty and rich and deep – and the laughter caused his eyes to crinkle at the corners.  
  
When asked more about her childhood, Laurie's face saddened slightly. "I was always too tall, too skinny, and I had buck teeth. My hair was always in disarray – most of the time it took on the look of a dandelion being blown by the wind. It still does that which is why I wear it pulled back so much. I was very shy and had very few friends. I got teased at school a lot and got terrible grades even though I knew the material. I didn't want to be labeled as 'too smart' along with all the other labels I already had. My parents, God bless 'em, were musicians and had little time to help me when I had problems – so I just forged ahead on my own and became known as 'that scrappy little girl who lived up the street.' The only thing that really was my salvation was my voice. I used to sing a lot and, when I sang too loud and too high, my father told my mother that there had to be some way to harness all that 'hot air,' so I took singing lessons for several years. As you know (here she dimples), I can and do break glass when I get carried away."  
  
Gil remembered the broken stage lights and the shaking of the chandelier in the Opera House. He gave a deep chuckle. "Quince said that the man behind him fell backwards out of his chair when you hit that one high note."  
  
"At least it keeps people awake!" Laurie quickly answered with a grin of her own. "Anyway, I was singing with a chorus group at stage plays when I was sixteen. My parents both died in a buggy accident that year, and I lived with various relatives and kept on singing. When I turned eighteen, I had enough money to buy a small place to live in, and I was on my own. My first real break came when the main female lead in an opera lost her voice at the last minute and I ended up playing her part." Laurie's eyes looked impish.  
  
Gil couldn't stand it. "What happened to her voice?"  
  
Laurie fidgeted and looked decidedly guilty. "I don't know. I think she drank something that didn't agree with her throat."  
  
Gil choked on his cigarette smoke. He could only imagine what Laurie might have put in that drink. When he got over his choking spell, he got serious. "Do you plan to keep singin' on stage until you can't sing no more?"  
  
Taking on her own serious look, Laurie answered. "That was my plan before I came out here. Now I'm not so sure. Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could live here in the West, have some kind of a little farm on the outskirts of town, and maybe open a small theater? I know there's talent here. Just look at Joe and Sam and how talented they are with their music. Surely there are children – and adults too – who can sing or play a musical instrument or act or something. I dread going back East where it's so confining. I feel like I can breathe out here..." Her voice trailed off.  
  
"What about you, Gil? What are your dreams for the future?"  
  
"I've lived in the East, and I've spent a lot of time in the West. I'd like to own my own ranch and have herds of cattle and horses. Maybe have a big vegetable garden. Most of all, I'd like to have my little girls out here to share it with me."  
  
"And a wife, Gil? Don't you want to get married and have a wife for yourself and a mother for your girls?" Laurie knew she was walking on shaky ground here, but she asked anyway.  
  
He looked thoughtful. "Finding a wife ain't easy. I ain't around anywhere long enough to meet many women. And I'm picky, too. She's got to be just right." Then he added, "What about you, Laurie? Any plans to look for a husband?"  
  
"Gil, tell me what you think about me. I mean objectively. I'd like an honest opinion of what I appear to be."  
  
Gil pulled his hat brim down and then tilted it back up. "You're beautiful, confident, poised, smart and witty. But you can be sarcastic, fiery, stubborn and gutsy – not all of these are bad qualities though. A man likes a little fire, a little gutsiness, in a woman."  
  
"So I'm not all bad and not all good either," Laurie said as she shifted positions on the rock. Her backside and legs ached but she didn't want this conversation to end.  
  
"Ask anybody in camp – even Mushy. They're all enchanted with you. Any one of them would marry you in a flash!"  
  
"And you, Gil? Would you?"  
  
"Is this what this whole conversation is leading up to?" He stood up and looked angry. "What do you want me to say?"  
  
Suddenly, he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to her feet, his face inches away from hers. "Do you need me to say that I want you? I do! Do you wanna hear me say that I care for you? I do!" With that, he pulled her against him, his arms snaked around her back and his mouth came down hard on hers. He held her so tight that she couldn't breathe, and his lips felt like they were bruising hers. She pushed away from him with all her might and stared at him. But she wasn't angry. She looked very sad.  
  
"Gil, I want you too. I care deeply for you. But I don't want you like this." Shoulders slightly slumping, she turned and headed back to camp, leaving a bewildered trail boss watching her as she walked away, wondering why he had acted so boorish. Why couldn't he have just held her hand or touched her cheek gently or played with a loose tendril of hair? He had heard what he wanted – needed – to hear, and then he ruined the whole thing. Was he as afraid to stick his neck out as she was? Angry with himself, he sat down and lit another cigarette. He had really botched things up. She admitted to wanting him, to caring for him, and look how he handled it. He kicked a small rock in anger. Telling himself that he would probably never see her again, that there couldn't be a future for the two of them, he walked slowly back to camp. But he knew, deep in his heart, that he was lying to himself. He wanted her in his life, plain and simple.  
  
----------  
  
Sleep didn't come easy to Gil Favor that night and he rose earlier than the other drovers. He kept mentally kicking himself for the previous night's actions. Seeing that Laurie's bedroll was gone, he approached Wishbone and asked if Laurie had already gone for a morning ride.  
  
"Why, Mr. Favor," Wishbone answered as he stirred a pan full of eggs, "she left for town earlier. Said she had a lot to do and needed to get started. She didn't even have a donut." Taking one look at the boss's face, Wishbone knew that this was not going to be a good day. And Wishbone's adding, "She said she wouldn't be back before we leave tomorrow" certainly didn't lighten the boss's mood any. "Did you two have a fight or somethin'?"  
  
The answer was a growl and a scowling face. Wishbone, like the other drovers, was not blind. He knew that his boss had feelings for Laurie and that she had feelings for him; his intuition told him that something had happened last night. But he dared not ask. He watched as the tall man stalked off.  
  
The morning wasn't pleasant at all. The drovers gave Mr. Favor a wide berth or took the risk of getting their heads snapped off. Rowdy cautioned the men to do their jobs well today or somebody would end up getting fired. Everybody walked on eggs that morning. Gil Favor was in a particularly unpleasant mood.  
  
----------  
  
In the early afternoon, a rider approached the camp to drop off a note to Scarlett. "Hey, men!" he hollered to those that were in camp, "it's a note from Laurie!" Gil's ears perked up but he was saddened that the note hadn't been delivered to him. Apparently Laurie was still upset.  
  
"What's the note say?" prodded Quince. "Either read it or tell us what she says!"  
  
Scarlett now was the center of attention. She says that she is having a special performance at the Opera House tonight and wants us all to come. And she underlined the words "please" and "special." She sent us front-row seats again. He fanned through the tickets. All eyes turned to the trail boss. "Can we go, boss?" begged Toothless.  
  
Gil shrugged his shoulders. "Don't see why not. All the work is done. I'll stay here with a skeleton crew and keep an eye on the herd."  
  
"Ain'tcha goin' with us?" queried Scarlett.  
  
"Somebody has to stay here and keep watch!" growled the boss. "Whoever wants to go can go." He turned his back and headed toward the remuda.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Rowdy asked Wishbone. "He's been grouchy all day!"  
  
Pete stood next to Rowdy and waited for an answer. "I think it has something to do with Laurie. He was mad when he found out she was gone this mornin' and he ain't been right since."  
  
Rowdy and Pete looked at each other with knowing eyes. Pete looked around and then whispered, "He's stuck on Laurie. And, from what I can see, she's stuck on him too. Reck'n what happened?"  
  
Rowdy shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we should talk to him."  
  
"Let him be for a while," Wishbone commented. "He may be trying to work things out in his mind. Before you leave tonight, make sure that everything – and I mean everything – is done right and proper. Won't take much to set him off, the mood he's in."  
  
And, before most of the drovers left that night, everything was done "right and proper." They would hit the trail early the next morning and there was nothing left undone that needed to be done. They felt sorry that their boss wouldn't be going with them but they all wanted to see Laurie one last time.  
  
----------  
  
Wishbone watched Mr. Favor wander aimlessly around camp. Wishbone, despite what the drovers said about him in good-natured ribbing, had a very sensitive side and could feel his boss's pain. So it was that he approached the tall man and began talking. "Mr. Favor," he began, "this ain't none of my business..."  
  
"You're right, Wish. It ain't none of your business," came the answer.  
  
Wishbone ignored him. "Whatever happened between you and Laurie is your business. But you can do something to make it right. You need to talk to her before we hit the trail and the chance is gone. You know I'm right. That gal cares for you. Don't let this time come and go and just sulk around and do nothing."  
  
Rubbing his face and lighting a cigarette, Gil Favor opened up to Wishbone, something he seldom did. He knew Wish was right. "Laurie and I live in two different worlds, Wish. She has her rich crowd of friends back East. I'm just a trail boss who has nothing to offer her. What good would it do to talk to her?"  
  
Wishbone's answer was filled with wisdom. "Why don't you let her be the judge of that?"  
  
Gil pondered on that advice and decided that Wishbone was right. Before he shaved, he made sure that everything was ready for tomorrow (though he had already checked on all of this three times). As he buttoned his clean shirt and tied his string tie, he noticed that his hands were trembling. What do I do? What do I say? How will she act? Hey Soos smiled as he handed the horse's reins to his boss. "Tell Miss Laurie that we all hope to see her again."  
  
----------  
  
Meanwhile, at the Opera House, the drovers had saved a seat, just in case "the boss" changed his mind. Rowdy and Pete wondered if the man would eventually show up. Right now, the seat was empty and the curtain had gone up.  
  
And there was Laurie standing in front of the orchestra. "Tonight is a special night," she began. "This is the last night of your Founder's Day celebrations, and I know that you are all looking forward to the barn dance and barbecue after the show. But I thought it would be appropriate to look back at the songs that the pioneers sang on their way to this new land. Some of them are filled with hope, some are just rousing good songs reflecting happiness, and some are sad. Many folks lost their lives getting out here from the East, and we should remember them as much as we remember the living. For this reason, tonight's show will be a sing-along. I encourage you to sing with me when you know the songs and, for those too young to know the words, please learn them. One day, people will look back and remember the hardships of the pioneers and realize that history was made. Please, sing with me in what we will call 'Songs of the Trail.'" With that, she turned to the orchestra leader, nodded, and the songs began.  
  
It was at this time that Gil Favor appeared. Laurie had noticed, even though the stage lamps were bright, that he was not there. She was gravely disappointed but put her heart and soul into the songs she led. Gil watched her from the back of the Opera House, and his heart ached for her. She was dressed for this show, not in a fancy dress nor in jeans, but in a split skirt and a fitted shirt. Because he was late in his arrival, he hadn't heard her opening remarks, but now he could hear several voices raised in song. And, as he made his way to his seat with his drovers, more voices could be heard joining in with Laurie's.  
  
She saw him sit down and couldn't hide the instant glow on her face. He did come!  
  
Rowdy winked at Pete. This was going to be an interesting night.  
  
And it was. By the end of the show, the whole crowd was singing – from bankers to store owners to blacksmiths. The last song was "Home on the Range" – and even Gil found that he was singing as loudly as those around him. As the strains of the last stanza faded away, Gil was glad he came and was a part of this performance. He looked at the happy faces around him and felt the happiness deep in his heart.  
  
When the music stopped, Laurie didn't leave the stage. The curtain didn't come down. Laurie held up her hands to stop the applause and, when it was quiet in the building, she spoke. "There is one last part to this show. The folks in this wonderful orchestra have been working all day on this particular song. Well, it's not a song – it's a beautiful old melody that has been adapted by the men who spend months on the trail driving herds of cattle to the railhead. As you listen, try to visualize these men who spend countless hours in the saddle in dust and rain and mud getting a herd to market. Some of them leave families behind (she looked pointedly at Gil) and some have no families but the other drovers themselves. But they work together for the benefit of many people so that beef can be served all across the country. These men are drovers who do hard work for little pay and get very few accolades for a job well done."  
  
She walked down the stairs and pointed to Scarlett and Sam to join her. Leading them onto the stage, she gave Scarlett a harmonica; to Sam she gave a guitar. "These two men, from the Gil Favor trail drive, reminded me of the melody last night. The orchestra has worked all day to learn the tune, and I want all of you to hear it. So, as you hear the music, make pictures in your minds and become a drover yourself."  
  
Scarlett and Sam had no idea what to do. Laurie stood between them. "Just play it like you did last night. The orchestra will join in when the time is right."  
  
His hands shaking, Scarlett slid his mouth down the harmonica, testing to see whether it was in tune. It was. And then he started the introduction to the melody. Almost immediately, Sam began to find the right chords on his guitar. For a long moment, Laurie looked at Gil and smiled. She couldn't see very well through the lights but thought she saw him smile back at her. Her heart soared and her face glowed. Slowly and gently, the orchestra joined in until every musical instrument was being played. Scarlett and Sam had lost their initial nervousness and were playing the haunting, plaintive melody easily. One could not say that Laurie "hummed" with the melody but rather that she opened her mouth into long "oohs" in counterpoint to the melody. Some of her notes were almost a wail, others were pitched so high as to shake the chandelier. Not a soul in the building was left unmoved. As the end of the tune was reached, Laurie pointed from one end of the front row of drovers and swept the other hand to include the whole crew – almost as if she were cradling them.  
  
There was stunned silence and then applause so loud and so long that Laurie grew slightly embarrassed. She pointed to Scarlett and Sam and whispered for them to take a bow. She turned to the members of the orchestra and the orchestra leader – they took their bows. Making a deep curtsy, Laurie beamed; down came the curtain. The show was over. The orchestra leader appeared and waved to the crowd, then practically had to holler that the barbecue was ready and for everyone to go eat and to enjoy the rest of the evening.  
  
With that, the throng headed for the gazebo in the center of town. Gil, Rowdy, and Pete waited for Scarlett and Sam to appear – which they did, grinning from ear to ear. Their enthusiasm was unbridled and they could barely hold still. Gil growled, good-naturedly, to Rowdy," They'll never be the same. We'll be workin' with a coupla prima donnas from now til the end of the drive." Rowdy grinned as he shook Scarlett's hand for the fifth time, "Ah, let 'em have their moment of glory."  
  
Sam couldn't stop smiling. "Wasn't it just the best thing you've ever heard, Mr. Favor?"  
  
"Yes, Sam," came the answer, "it was. By the way, where is Laurie?" He tried not to look too interested.  
  
"Oh, she's backstage talking to some newspaper man. She'll be at the barbecue though. And the barn dance after that."  
  
And she was. She appeared so silently that none of the drovers even knew she was there until she touched Scarlett on the arm. "Joe? Sam? I'm so proud of you both!" She hugged them several times. "You were wonderful! Don't you all think so?" She looked around the group and saw smiles of agreement. She looked at Gil, somewhat awkwardly, and kept her distance. "Are you angry that I had them be part of the show?"  
  
Gil sensed a distance between him and the woman. He answered, "Nope." And that was all he said before he bit into the food on his plate. Laurie felt a little deflated. She had hoped that Gil would be as enthusiastic as she was. But, then, she had learned that Gil was not one to show too much emotion. Except for last night. She had hoped he might take her aside and apologize but that was not to be.  
  
Heading for the tables laden with food, Laurie was disappointed but was determined not to let one man ruin her evening. Surrounded by so many well- wishers, she barely had time to eat anything, but she had made an impression on these people and was gratified to know that this particular performance had meant more to them than anything else she could've done. So busy was she that even the drovers couldn't get through the throng to talk to her until the barbecue was over. Toothless grabbed her and steered her toward the large barn where the fiddles and banjos and guitars were already beginning to tune up. "I get the first dance, Miss Laurie!" he chortled. "Why, of course you do!" she answered as she was half-dragged down the street. She looked around furtively and didn't see Gil. Was he coming to the dance? Please, God, let him come with us! Don't let him go back to camp.  
  
Gil was standing off by himself and was in a quandary. Should I go? Should I go back to camp? Can I stand to watch her having a good time with other men? Should I dance with her?  
  
Even as he was thinking, his feet were taking him slowly toward the barn. The lively music put him in a better frame of mind and, when he had his first dance with a lady he had never seen before, he began to relax. In fact, he was asked to dance so frequently that he didn't have the opportunity to even ask Laurie to dance. Not that she would've had time anyway. She never left the floor. Finally managing to slip away, he stood outside, leaned against a barrel, and lit a cigarette.  
  
It wasn't long before he heard a sound off to his right behind another barrel. Turning to see what the sound was, he saw Laurie. "Oh, Good God Almighty!" she swore. "If I had known it was you, I wouldn't have tried to hide!"  
  
Gil laughed in spite of himself. "You not enjoying bein' belle of the ball?"  
  
Laurie rolled her eyes and made a face. "I think I'm gonna be crippled the rest of my life." She looked at the tops of her scuffed shoes in dismay. "I feel like I've been trampled!"  
  
Gil walked over to her and gave another low chuckle. "That's what you get for bein' so popular." Laurie made another face. But then she heard the strains of the "Virginia Reel" and her toe began tapping in rhythm. "You haven't asked me to dance one single time tonight." Grabbing his arm, she pulled him back inside the barn and they fell in line with other dancers. When it came their turn to promenade, they held hands and danced between the lines, reached the front of the line, and Gil swung her around by the elbow. Then he went down on one knee and led her around him in a circle. She blushed with delight, and then they headed toward the end of the line again. "How're your feet?" she heard him ask. "Fine. I think I'm gonna live." "Good! The next dance is mine!"  
  
The next dance, as it turned out, was the last one of the evening. As the fiddles struck up "Beautiful Dreamer," Gil swept her into his arms. "I promise not to step on your toes," he chuckled. She felt the flow of strength as his arms went around her waist as he skillfully guided her into a waltz. She felt the music flow through her, looked up into the man's rugged face, and felt like she was dancing on air. Their bodies moved as one as they whirled around the floor. Involuntarily, she felt herself moving closer to him until she was almost molded to him. Heat coursed through her and, though she didn't know it, he felt the same heat coursing through him. Even after the music had stopped, they continued dancing for several seconds until they realized they were the only ones on the floor. Gil bowed to her, and she made a deep curtsy, feeling her cheeks go hot. What is happening to me? It's wonderful but scary!  
  
She heard someone announce that the fireworks display would be starting immediately, and she felt Gil's hand take her elbow as he moved with her outside. They stood shoulder to shoulder, touching but not overtly, as they watched the sky light up in bursts. Pete nudged Rowdy and pointed to where the man and woman were standing. "Looks like they have their own fireworks going." Rowdy's answer was, "Yeah, and wouldn't you know that we'd have to be hitting the trail tomorrow. I've never seen Mr. Favor look so happy." He sighed.  
  
Being the gentleman that he was, Gil walked Laurie to her hotel but didn't stop downstairs as he had done before. He walked her right to her room. "I need to talk to you, Laurie," was all he said. She saw the seriousness on his face and nodded as he opened the door with the key she handed him. Walking into her room, filled with luggage for her departure tomorrow, she realized that this might be the last time she would see Gil again. She was overcome with sadness.  
  
She turned and saw Gil closing the door softly and then standing there like a big awkward child. "What is it that you want to talk about, Gil?"  
  
"We're leaving tomorrow," he said.  
  
"I know. So am I."  
  
"I don't want to lose touch with you," he said slowly.  
  
She smiled. "We can write. I...uh...already know which trail you'll be taking. I asked already." She looked sheepish.  
  
He walked closer to her. "About last night..." He knew what he wanted to say but the words just wouldn't come out. "I...I... Dammit, all I can say is that I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me."  
  
"Gilfavor," she said as she walked closer to him, "you said 'dammit.'" She couldn't help but chuckle as he put his hand to his face and pinched his nose between his eyes.  
  
"This isn't coming out right at all," he whispered.  
  
"It's coming out just fine, Gilfavor."  
  
He walked all the way up to her and cupped her face with his hands. She could feel the calluses there; he could feel the softness of her skin. He got lost in the green of her eyes. Over the pounding of his heart, he could hear her say, "This is the right time." And he kissed her gently. Tenderly. And in her lips, he felt the response he had hoped he would find. Standing on her toes, she cupped the back of his head with her hands and pulled his face down to hers as she put her lips to his – stronger this time. They held the kiss so long that she could feel her legs get weak; only the strength of his arms around her were holding her up. They drew away at the same time, and she touched her fingertips to his lips. "Promise me that you won't forget me," she whispered. And from around her neck came a gold locket that she usually wore. She took his hand and placed the locket in it. "The locket belonged to my mother. The picture in it is of me. The other side is empty. I'm saving it for a picture of the man I fall in love with. Keep this with you. If it should come back to me, still empty, then I'll know you've moved on with your life." Her eyes misted over.  
  
Kissing her gently on the tip of her nose, Gil looked at the locket. "It won't come back to you. At least not empty." And then he drew her back into a strong embrace. "This isn't goodbye," he whispered in her ear.  
  
"No," she whispered back. "It isn't. We've come too far for that." More than anything, she wanted to kiss him again, kiss him and never stop, feel the warmth of his mouth on hers, but she backed away. "I'll be writing you, Gilfavor. Please write back. And take care of yourself."  
  
Wordlessly, Gil opened the door and walked through it. "Laurie, I do care for you. More than you know." And then he was gone, still holding the locket in his rough hand. He was sad and happy at the same time, and he hummed as he swung into the saddle and rode away. Laurie watched him from the window, tears trickling down her cheeks. "I care for you, Gilfavor. And I will be seeing you again."  
  
----------  
  
Thanks to the article written by the newspaper man, news of Laurie and her entourage reached slowly all the way back East. At every whistle stop along the way, no matter whether it was a small town or a big one, people begged her to perform "Songs of the Trail." And, at every stop, she learned more songs that were added to what had been a small list. Every time she sang, she would search the audience, hoping to find Gil, but she was always disappointed. Even though her path and the path of the trail drive were somewhat parallel, they kept missing each other.  
  
True to her word, she did write – sending the letters to places that Wishbone and Mushy had said would be places to stop and restock supplies. She prayed that they would reach Gil. And they did.  
  
Gil was drinking a cup of coffee and eating a stale sandwich when Wishbone and Mushy arrived from town. They were obviously in a hurry. Their boss had not necessarily been in a bad mood for the last week or so, but he seemed distracted which was unusual for him. Wishbone, bouncing on the wagon seat, cautioned Mushy to hang on to the envelope in his hand. He also suggested that Mushy would be one dead cook's louse if anything happened to that envelope.  
  
"What's the hurryin' for?" asked Gil. He had never seen Wishbone approach a herd so fast and take a chance on spooking the animals.  
  
Wishbone was grinning from ear to ear. We got a letter addressed to the "Gil Favor Trail Drive!" He pranced with joy. "And it looks like a woman's handwriting!"  
  
Wishbone looked at the grinning Mushy. "Well, don't just stand there! Give him the letter!"  
  
Of course, Mushy couldn't find it right away. Wishbone growled, and Gil pinched the bridge of his nose in consternation. A smile from Mushy's face showed that the lost piece of mail was found, and he handed it to his boss.  
  
Gil took the envelope in his hand and opened it. The first thing he did was to look for the signature at the bottom of the paper – it was from Laurie! His face brightened, and he smiled – something he hadn't done for a while.  
  
"Well," Wishbone prodded. "Who's it from (though he already had a feeling about the answer) and what does it say?"  
  
Gil didn't answer – he just waved his hand in the air and suggested that the rest of the men in camp gather round. He would read the letter aloud so that more people might hear it. Rowdy, Quince and Pete were with the herd, so they would miss it, but Scarlett and Toothless and a handful of other drovers sat silently while Gil read to them.  
  
To all of you,  
  
I hope this letter reaches you because I want you to know that you are all on my mind. I constantly wonder if all is well and if the graze and water are good. I hope that you are all in good health and that the trail is an easy one. I know that Wishbone and Mushy's cooking are keeping your bellies full! I tried to get to camp to tell you all goodbye, but I was too late – or you were too early leaving.  
  
As for me, I have been practicing honing my skills at horseback riding. So far, I've fallen out of the saddle only twice – both times were my own fault. I failed to secure the cinch once, and then I got too confident and galloped for too long. Falling out of the saddle isn't fun. My backside hurts!!!! But I do see some improvement.  
  
"Songs of the Trail" has made a tremendous hit everywhere we go. I owe you all many thanks for the night that we all sang together – that was what put the idea in my mind to begin with. You will be delighted to know that the melody Joe and Sam reminded me about has now become known as "The Drovers' Prayer." How appropriate.  
  
I keep hoping to see your faces wherever we stop and admit to being disappointed at your absence. I keep up with where you are and am aware you're too far away to ride into town. But I can't stop hoping... If you have time to write, I would love to hear from you and to know what's going on. (Here she put in where she would be so that she could get her mail). I miss you all so much! And I keep you in my prayers every night.  
  
Laurie  
  
The drovers whooped and hollered, and Wishbone and Mushy strutted like peacocks at having been mentioned by name. Even though his own name hadn't appeared, Gil looked happy and felt his spirits rise. Of course, when the next bunch of drovers arrived, they had to hear the contents of the letter also. Rowdy watched his boss's face and then grinned at Pete and Quince. It looked like Mr. Favor might actually perk up a bit!  
  
That night, a piece of paper was passed around to every single drover. Each one wrote a sentence or two and then signed his name. The last person to write anything was Gil. He had no earthly idea what to say, so he assured her that all was going well and that nobody was sick and that there weren't any problems so far. He did tell her how happy the men were at hearing from her and that maybe they would be able to see her soon. He signed his part of the letter "Gilfavor." Then he sent Scarlett to town to see that the letter would get sent out soon.  
  
When things were quiet that night and the drovers were asleep, Gil pulled the letter out and read it again and again. He touched the ink on the paper and pulled out the locket. He missed Laurie. Even though this letter wasn't a personal letter just to him, he felt close to her. He remembered how warm her kisses had been, how soft her skin had been, how she had seemed to melt into him when he put his arms around her. He wondered how it was possible for one woman to be on his mind so consistently. How was it possible that one single letter could make his heart so full?  
  
----------  
  
A week later, another letter arrived from Laurie. In it, she thanked all the guys for writing her and let them know how happy they made her. Most of the rest of the letter was small talk, but it was a letter just the same. Gil smiled. She hasn't forgotten us. A grin turned up the corners of his lips as he read and reread the letter to the drovers before it was tucked away in a safe place. He decided to write a letter of his own and to send regards from his crew. It, too, was filled with small talk, but he just had to write her back on his own.  
  
And so the weekly receiving of mail became a thing for Gil to look forward to. There were letters occasionally from his daughters and from Eleanor that made him homesick for his family, but the letters from Laurie touched him in a different way. "Mail call" brought on a new meaning to him. And his attitude changed every time envelopes were put into his hands. This didn't go unnoticed by the other drovers – they could see the happiness on his face and soon learned that his whole demeanor changed for several days. Things that went wrong didn't bring about his wrath – he seemed much calmer, more at peace.  
  
Two months went by before Gil received an envelope addressed to him alone. Swinging into the saddle, he rode off into a copse of trees where he could read in private and still keep an eye on the herd. He had no idea if the news contained inside was good or bad, but he knew he wanted to be alone when he opened the envelope.  
  
Dear Gil,  
  
It's late at night and everything is still and quiet. I've been doing a lot of thinking tonight and there is something I must tell you. I miss you. I think about you so often that it's embarrassing. I think back to the night I gave you my locket and remember the tenderness in your eyes. I wonder if that tenderness is still there. You haven't sent the locket back, and I take that as a good sign. Then I fear it may have been lost and you don't know how to tell me. I should be ashamed to be writing such a letter, but when have I ever kept my feelings to myself?  
  
In three weeks, by all calculations, we should be close enough proximity- wise (Silver City) to be able to see each other again. There will be another performance of "The Songs of the Trail," and I would love to see you there. Enclosed are enough stage passes to allow you and those who can come to see the show. Maybe the herd will move slower or faster than expected and thus we will miss each other completely. I hope not. I hope I will look out in the audience and see you sitting there and smiling up at me.  
  
Fear makes me wonder if you will want to come at all. I am trying to keep a positive attitude but the letters I've received so far say nothing personal. So I am writing to you personally. Please write back and tell me what's on your mind – or dare I ask to know what's in your heart?  
  
Please give my regards to all the men!  
  
Laurie  
  
Gil rocked back in his saddle and almost laughed out loud, so happy was he. He was also thankful that this letter arrived during the day so he could read it without the watchful eyes of the drovers. She missed him! She wanted to see him! How could she doubt that he wanted to see her too?  
  
Galloping back to camp, he jumped off his horse and headed for the supply wagon for pencil and paper. He had to write her back right now – it just couldn't wait!  
  
There were strange glances around the chuck wagon. Mr. Favor looked like he had sat on a keg of dynamite! Then they saw an envelope in his hands and they knew it had to be from Laurie. Nothing made him light up like news from her!  
  
Rowdy couldn't smother a grin. "News from Laurie?" he asked innocently. Quince nudged Scarlett in the ribs and put his hand over his heart sneakily.  
  
Gil approached Pete. "Where will we be in about three weeks," he asked, trying to act nonchalant.  
  
Pete saw through that innocent guise. Looking at the map and trying to look just as nonchalant, he pointed to a place that was close to Silver City. "If all goes well, that's where we'll be at about that time."  
  
Gil didn't even pause to talk to Pete. He just smiled, nodded, and hurried away to a place where he could write Laurie uninterrupted. This letter just had to go out today! Spreading Laurie's letter on a log next to his blank piece of paper, he began to think what to say and how to say it.  
  
Dear Laurie,  
  
Got your letter today and am glad to say that it looks like we'll be in Silver City at the same time you're there. I ain't good at writing so bear with me. You say that you miss me. I miss you too. Especially at night when I hear the men humming "The Drovers' Prayer" to the beeves. Every time I look inside the locket, I see your face smiling at me. I can't forget the night you gave me that locket. Don't want to forget it.  
  
If all goes well, I'll see you in Silver City.  
  
Gilfavor  
  
----------  
  
For two weeks, Gil got no envelope from Laurie. He worried. Did I say too much? Too little? Has she met somebody else? Has the mail just not gotten to me? His attitude, which had been so benign, turned grumpy and he began barking at the drovers. To say he was difficult to be around would be an understatement. He pushed the cattle hard; he pushed the men even harder.  
  
Rowdy, Pete, Quince, and Wishbone were talking one night after a particularly hard day. They were tired and dusty and dirty, as were the other drovers. The boss ate very little and, when he spoke, he was terse and grumpy.  
  
"I wish Mr. Favor would hear from Laurie," groused Rowdy. "He sure ain't been easy to be around these last coupla weeks."  
  
Pete sipped his coffee. "He's tryin' to get to Silver City on time. Being at that performance means a lot to him."  
  
"I got used to his being grumpy before he met Laurie. Then he got all nice and easy to be around after he met her." This from Quince who was talking around a mouthful of biscuits.  
  
"Now, just leave Mr. Favor alone. Everything will work out just fine once we get to Silver City," Wishbone stated with certainty. "But we have to get there in time. I think he's afraid we'll be late. Besides, Laurie is the best thing to happen to him since...well...since after his wife died. I ain't never seen such a change in a man. Best thing we can do is keep up with our jobs and not make him any grumpier." Wishbone then waddled off to put on some fresh coffee.  
  
"He's right, you know," said Rowdy thoughtfully. "Laurie's changed him. It's time he found a woman to share his life with." Heads nodded in agreement.  
  
It's a good thing that the conversation stopped when it did because Mr. Favor walked up and growled, "Okay, ladies, supper's over. Get in the saddle and take your turns at nighthawk!" Then he spun and walked over to tell Scarlett and Toothless the same thing.  
  
"Please, God, let a letter come soon," prayed Quince aloud. "We can't take much more of this!"  
  
----------  
  
Two days letter, like an answer to Quince's prayer, an envelope did arrive. Wishbone, having gone to town for supplies, treated the mail like gold and hurried back to camp. He couldn't wait to put this "treasure" into Mr. Favor's hands. As luck would have it, Mr. Favor wasn't in camp – he was with Scarlett and Sam and the steers. Wishbone, delighted, ran around the camp and spread the news that a letter had come from Laurie. "Let's hope it's good news!" he chortled. The men waited for their boss's return to camp so they could see his reaction.  
  
Seeing Mr. Favor ride up, Wishbone pretended that nothing important was happening. He went over the supply list and had come up short one bag of salt. "Wish! How hard is it to get two bags of salt!" chastised the boss. Wishbone didn't flinch. Instead, he searched his pockets, pretending to look for something. "We got some mail, boss. Now where did I put it?" Poking around in the wagon and trying hard not to look at the drovers' faces behind him – especially Mr. Favor's – he popped up with a packet of mail tied with string. He handed out letters to the other men, saving his boss's letter for the last. All eyes were on the trail boss as he took the letter from Wishbone's hand. And his face lit up like a thousand stars.  
  
"I'm sorry about the salt," Wishbone said and waited to see what kind of mood Mr. Favor was in. Nobody asked who the letter was from – they all knew.  
  
The trail boss, distracted, just waved his hand in the air. "That's okay, Wish. We'll get some more in Silver City." Wishbone looked at the drovers and winked. Somebody whispered, "Things'll get better around here now for sure!"  
  
As usual, Mr. Favor walked away from camp to open the envelope.  
  
Dear Gilfavor,  
  
You made me laugh out loud at your signature! I think this will always be my pet name for you – and you don't seem to mind at all!  
  
I haven't heard from you in a long time. Well, it seems like a long time. Perhaps my mail is not reaching me in a timely fashion, or maybe you just haven't had the time to write. I refuse to think that you are not writing because you don't want to.  
  
Yesterday I saw a man in town who looked like Rowdy, and I hoped that maybe you were close by. As it turned out, it wasn't Rowdy at all. I was bitterly disappointed. Obviously my attitude hasn't been the best because the musicians keep telling me that I'm cross and cranky and difficult to work with. I know that they're telling the truth – they wouldn't lie.  
  
Don't forget to tell the guys that I send regards and that I hope we can be together in Silver City. It's only a week away – can I wait that long? I guess I have to...  
  
I don't know what's happening to me. And I'm afraid of what I'm feeling. So I will be my usual forward self and ask you  
  
Can I trust you with my heart? Or am I chasing rainbows?  
  
Laurie  
  
Gil stood and read the letter a fourth time. There was no time to answer her letter before they reached Silver City. His heart pounded and his mind reeled. She's askin' me if she can trust me with her heart. Can I trust her with mine? How can I let her know how important she is to me? I never can find the words! And here I stand, tremblin' over the contents of a letter! Just like a kid in school!  
  
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he returned to camp. The men did their best to act like they didn't notice. Only Rowdy had the courage to ask if the letter had been from Laurie.  
  
"Yep," came the usual laconic answer. But the tone of his voice was softened. "She says to give everybody her regards and that she's lookin' forward to seein' us in Silver City."  
  
To Wishbone, he said, "Wish, I'm going to town to take care of some business. I'll pick up more salt while I'm there." He swung up into his saddle and rode off.  
  
Bandy-legged Wishbone couldn't wait until the man was out of sight. "See! I told ya! Don't he look like he's walkin' on air?" He looked at a bunch of nodding heads and smiles. "I don't think he's gonna be grumpy for a week at least. But we gotta do everything right, so let's get to it!"  
  
The first thing the trail boss did was to head for the telegraph office to send a wire to Silver City: "Laurie. Silver City for sure. Forget chasing rainbows. Gilfavor." He forgot all about the salt.  
  
----------  
  
Naturally, the supply wagon broke down along the way and caused a long delay in being fixed. Gil paced and shouted until the wagon was fixed. They had lost half a day. Then some of the cattle had wandered off and had to be rounded up. Another half a day lost. Gil was edgy. He wanted to spend some time with Laurie before her performance and now that hope was dashed. They'd be lucky to make it to Silver City in time for her performance. But he would be there if he had to leave his men behind and ride all night if he had to...  
  
----------  
  
The Town Hall was filled to capacity and there was barely enough room for the orchestra on the small stage. Laurie peeked out from stage right and saw more than a dozen empty seats which she had reserved for the drovers. Her heart sank and she blinked back tears. Gils' wire to her had said they'd be there, so something must've happened. She remembered the elation she had felt in reading that wire and how her breath had caught in her throat at his "forget chasing rainbows." Now she had to go on stage and give a great performance – these people had spent hard-earned money and she didn't want them to go away disappointed. Hearing the orchestra playing the first strains of music, she threw back her shoulders, stood tall, pasted a smile on her face, walked out onto the tiny stage, and launched into the first of the "Songs of the Trail."  
  
In the middle of her fourth song, she vaguely saw movement to the far right in the seats in front of her. But because the stage lamps blinded her to a great degree, she couldn't tell what was going on. Having given up hope of seeing Gil, curiosity caused her to move between the lamps to enable better vision. Who would be sitting in the reserved seats? Her heart skipped a beat. It was Joe! And then there were Rowdy and Pete and Quince! Hardly daring to believe her eyes, she moved more center-stage between the lamps, still singing, and saw Wishbone and Toothless and Sam. And then she saw Gil! She actually stopped singing and let the audience continue singing without her for several seconds before she realized that she was just standing there staring.  
  
The audience thought this was all part of the performance, so they kept singing along with the music. Laurie, in her ecstatic state, executed a pirouette, and began to sing in earnest. Nobody in the crowd knew the why of it, but Laurie's whole demeanor changed. She was vibrant even when she was just standing still! Energetically striding across the stage and raising her arms, she challenged the crowd to sing even louder. Nobody knew, when she paused, that the pause was made strategically between the stage lamps – she had to look at the front row. She had to see the drovers. She had to see Gil. And there he was, smiling up at her!  
  
The whole audience was caught up in the magical performance and, when she sang "The Last Farewell," and the curtain came down, the crowd stomped and clapped and whistled. "The Drovers' Prayer, The Drovers' Prayer" they chanted. Up went the curtain and Laurie reappeared center-stage. Directly in front of Gil. The stage lights were dimmed and she could see clearly now as she and the orchestra began the plaintive, haunting melody of what the throng had called for. Starting from stage-left and walking slowly to stage-right, she hummed and "oohed" with the music, all the while pointing at each drover as she passed. On the high notes, her volume increased until the walls shook; on the more delicate parts, she lowered her voice just enough to be heard. Toward the end of the music, she stood in front of Gil and, in singing in counterpoint to the orchestra, she touched her chest where her locket would've been. And then Gil, not taking his eyes from her face, pulled something from his shirt pocket – something shiny – and then returned it to the same pocket, patting it gently. Laurie felt lightning pass through her as she watched his face and saw a great tenderness there. As the melody ended, just as she had done before, Laurie extended one hand to the seats on the left and then swept her other hand to pass over each drover all the way to the right side – encompassing all the drovers – and then turned her palms slightly upward as if she were holding them all in her hands.  
  
There was a thunderous applause with people standing on their feet – some even standing in their chairs – as the curtain came down. Up went the curtain again and again with Laurie curtsying and turning to point her hands at the musicians for the applause that was due them. This went on for several minutes until the stage manager had to come out and say that the show was over. As for Laurie, she carried with her the cheers and whistles of each drover. But, above all, she would carry forever the look on Gil's face. He was proud of her and it showed.  
  
----------  
  
Because the dressing room was so small – not nearly big enough for all the drovers to fit in – Laurie sent a message to Gil and his crew to wait for her inside the Town Hall. Hurriedly she looked at herself in the mirror, rolled her eyes at the heavy make-up, washed her face quickly, and then emerged into the main part of the building. Many of the audience had remained to shake her hand, to congratulate her on her performance, and to thank her for keeping alive the songs that they didn't want to forget.  
  
As the throng dwindled, she spotted the drovers and ran pell-mell over to them, throwing her arms around their necks in delight – thoroughly taking them all by surprise. Gil deliberately stood at the end of the line, not quite knowing what he would do or what Laurie herself would do. When she reached him, she flung her arms around his neck – as she had done with the others – and whispered in his ear, "I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you so much!" Gil knew that his men were watching them, and he was unsure how to react in front of his "audience." He whispered back, "I told you I'd be here." Green eyes met blue eyes for a long moment – a look that was not lost on Rowdy, Pete, and Scarlett. The three men grinned at each other knowingly. They had no trouble recognizing two caring hearts – Laurie's beaming face and the boss's smile were impossible to ignore.  
  
"Seems your performance has made a big hit," observed Scarlett who was unable to wipe the smile off his own face.  
  
"I've gotten a gazillion letters saying how much these particular songs are appreciated," answered Laurie thoughtfully. "Who could've known that so many people would be so touched? And it started with all of you that one night in camp. I have you to thank for making all this such a success." She beamed again.  
  
"I know you have to leave soon, but do we have time to get something to eat?" she asked. "I'm hungry for food and for news of what's been going on!"  
  
"We'll make time," answered Gil, gently touching Laurie's elbow and steering her toward the door. The rest of the men followed, nudging each other and grinning widely.  
  
Just to tease the boss, the drovers made a big to-do about who would sit next to Laurie but, in the end, Gil ended up at her side. Rowdy and Scarlett feigned indignation when they ended up sitting at the end of the table which was as far away from Laurie as they could possibly be. Scarlett grumbled good-naturedly, "She's my family. I should be sitting by her." Wishbone, who sat on the other side of Laurie, made a pouty face and answered, "Ah, shuddup! I ain't had no time to sit by her. Just 'cause she's part of your family don't mean you can have her all to yourself!"  
  
All eyes turned to Mr. Favor. He growled with a smirk, "Well, don't look at me. I ain't movin!"  
  
Laurie threw back her head and laughed heartily. "You guys haven't changed a bit! I sure have missed all of you! Now tell me everything that's gone on since I saw you last!"  
  
The cacophony of voices practically deafened her as all the men began speaking at once, each trying to talk over the others. Finally Laurie had to hold up her hands, still laughing, and pointed to each man around the table so that a particular story could be told. Once again, she had turned the conversation away from herself. Gil noted that she seemed to be good at doing that and, again, he saw that her interest in every tale was genuine. She didn't need an evening gown to garner attention; she was adored just as much while wearing her split skirt and blouse and boots.  
  
It was Rowdy who thanked her for her letters explaining that Mr. Favor was nigh impossible to work with when he didn't hear from her. "There just ain't no pleasin' him. He storms around and grumbles at us and stays in a generally bad mood. Until he gets a letter from you. Then, nothin' bothers him and he's happy even when things don't go so good."  
  
Laurie looked at Gil and saw a flush creeping up his neck. "Why, Gilfavor! Grumbling at your own men? Being almost impossible to work with?" She shook her head as Gil scowled at Rowdy.  
  
"I ain't been hard to get along with," pronounced Gil. "I'm no different than I ever was. There's a job to be done and it needs doin' right!" Wishbone snickered and, seeing the ominous look on his boss's face, he pretended that he was coughing. Gil was thankful that the meal was finally over and there would be no more "tales" told. Rowdy's gonna be ridin' nighthawk for a week. Maybe more. Or maybe I'll just bust him down a peg lower than cook's louse...  
  
The men redeemed themselves almost immediately. And it was Rowdy who led the bunch. "Laurie, we gotta go back to the herd now. We're leavin' in the mornin' and we need to be sure that everything is ready." Then, "Uh, Mr. Favor, why don't you walk Laurie to the hotel and meet us back at camp?"  
  
The scowl on Gil's face disappeared; he nodded his head. Laurie stood up and hugged each man goodbye and then watched as Gil unfolded his tall body from the chair and stood up also. He was silent. Laurie had a bad case of nerves and wondered if Gil had orchestrated this or if he had nothing to do with it. Maybe he didn't want to walk her back to her hotel...  
  
Taking her by the elbow, Gil walked Laurie outside where she waved to the departing drovers. Now she was alone with the man she had been thinking about for so long – and she had no idea what to say to him! Nor did he speak to her! Panic-stricken, Laurie pointed to her hotel and turned to walk in that direction. But Gil's firm hand moved from her elbow to the small of her back and he turned her around and began walking in the opposite direction towards the outskirts of the town.  
  
Gil could feel the awkwardness between them. Could feel the uncomfortable silence. Could feel the stiffness in Laurie's back. He had some things he wanted to say to her but didn't know how. He didn't know that Laurie understood the awkward silence – she was waiting patiently to see how this walk would turn out. But Gil's discomfort made conversation nigh impossible right now.  
  
Reaching the outskirts of town, they stopped and stood on a grassy knoll. Gil tipped his hat back and lit a cigarette while he looked at the sky. "Looks like it's gonna be a good day tomorrow. No clouds in the sky."  
  
Laurie could stand it no longer. "Do you really have to leave tomorrow? Our group will be here for a couple of more days and..." She let her words drift off.  
  
"Gotta leave tomorrow. I gotta job to do and a time limit to do it in." He exhaled cigarette smoke through his nose and then looked at Laurie's disappointed face. "But at least we had tonight." His voice was gentle.  
  
"I was afraid you wouldn't get here. I peeked out from behind the stage curtain and saw a row full of empty seats. I tried to convince myself that things don't always work out like I'd like for them to, that you had been delayed or passed by earlier, but I was so sad. Your telegram said you'd be here, and I was afraid you'd changed your mind..."  
  
Gil turned her so that he could look her full in the face. "There are two trains of thought: 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' and 'out of sight, out of mind.'" Reaching into his shirt, he pulled out the locket she had given him. Her heart fell: he was going to give it back to her! But he wasn't through talking. "As long as I have this locket, you are always with me. I look at it every day; I think about you every day; I miss you every day. I would've been here if I'd had to ride all night by myself."  
  
Laurie could only whisper, "Oh." She felt her stomach doing a flip-flop. She smiled with relief as she watched him return the locket to his shirt and pat it gently.  
  
"I've missed you so much, Gilfavor!" Green eyes met blue eyes. "Sometimes I pretend you're in the audience when I sing. I've written you a million letters and then end up throwing them away because I can't put down on paper what's in my heart. I don't understand what's happening to me and it frightens me." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "I have a 'treasure' of my own." Smoothing the paper and holding it so the moonlight would shine on it, Gil could see that it was the telegram he had sent her.  
  
Gil was deeply moved. He couldn't have known what an impact that wire would make on Laurie's heart. He also knew he meant every word he said.  
  
She heard him chuckle and had no idea why he would laugh at her. "Okay," she hissed. "It's a dumb thing to carry around." You've had your laugh, now I'll go back to the hotel. But he caught her arm as she turned to go and cupped her cheek in his rough hand.  
  
"I'm not laughing at you. I'm thinking how full my heart is. We each have something to hang on to." Looking deep into her eyes, he added, "Haven't you heard a single word I've said?" And he leaned down to kiss her very gently.  
  
"Oh," she said again as he drew away from her. She touched her lips. "Oh." Standing on tiptoe, she snaked her arms around his neck, felt his strong arms encircle her back, and there the two of them stood. In the moonlight. Not daring to speak. Not needing to speak. Leaning back so she could look at him, she saw a glow in his eyes. And he kissed her again, harder this time. And longer. Feeling the tip of his tongue teasing at her lips, she opened her mouth and teased him back with her own tongue. She felt lightning sweep through her – and by the way Gil's body was responding, she knew he felt it too. When she drew away from him, she saw a fire, a hunger, in his eyes. She knew that she had the same look in hers. Her legs began to tremble – partly from standing on her toes for so long but mostly from the passion of his kiss.  
  
He still had his arms around her as she settled firmly on her feet. She held on to the ropy muscles in his arms. "Gilfavor, what are we gonna do? Where do we go from here? There aren't gonna be too many more times when our paths will cross."  
  
"We'll just be patient. I ain't sayin' it'll be easy, but we just gotta be patient," he said wisely, even though his body was shouting at him otherwise. "We can write. I can leave the herd in Rowdy's hands and come see you maybe. I don't know. I don't have any answers. Maybe when the drive is over and we're both back East, you can come visit. I want you to meet Gillian and Maggie and Eleanor."  
  
"And Philadelphia is a big city," Laurie added. "I can wangle some performances there. New York isn't that far away. Maybe you can visit me at my home. I want everybody to meet you! We don't have time to be together very much now, but we can make time later..."  
  
Gil's arms tightened around her as he lifted her completely off her feet, kissing her with such passion that she almost couldn't breathe. He could feel the answering passion as she pressed against him the whole length of his body. Now his own legs grew weak and he put her back down. He realized that her breathing was as ragged as his own and was glad.  
  
Wordlessly, he turned and put his arm around her waist. "I have to get back to camp." Laurie nodded, and they began walking back to town. There was no awkward silence this time, and there was the comfort of Gil's strong hand around her waist. As fate had it, his horse was tied up close to the entrance to the hotel. She knew, if she asked, that he would walk her to her room – but she couldn't trust herself in her present state to not invite him inside.  
  
He half-hoped that she would ask him to stay. When she said nothing, he accepted the fact and smiled down at her. She touched his lips with her fingers and let them linger there. "Be careful on the trail, Gilfavor. We have some long-range plans." And she smiled with both her eyes and her mouth.  
  
"Yep. Count on it." Gil swung up into his saddle. He felt her hand on his thigh and a surge of heat swept through him. He patted his shirt where the locket was; she patted her skirt where his telegram was. Neither of them had to say anything – they knew where things were headed. She stood and watched as he rode away. She felt a moment of intense sadness as he disappeared into the night, but she touched her pocket and felt the paper there. Forget chasing rainbows...Have I found my pot of gold already?  
  
----------  
  
Both Laurie and Gil were incredibly busy but they made time to write each other. Sometimes the letters were long and sometimes they were short. But just about every ten days or so, a letter would arrive for one of them. In rare instances, there might even be two letters at the same time. In their case, "absence made the heart grow fonder." Gil still got edgy and grumpy if he didn't hear from Laurie as quickly as he wanted to, but his men got used to his "Laurie moods" and learned to live with them. Laurie's entourage learned the same lesson about her "Gil moods."  
  
Fortunately, after not being able to see each other after almost 3 months, the parallel (but distant) paths of man and woman would be nearing each other outside of a small town called Sloan's Crossing. Though there were barely enough people in this small town to perform for, Laurie would sing for them anyway.  
  
And sing she did – and was glad. The small town was populated by mostly older citizens who were extremely appreciative of her performance. These were people who knew each and every verse of "Songs of the Trail" and, though their singing was off-key, the songs took them back to earlier times when they had been part of wagon trains coming West. There was even an old retired trail boss named Jack Ramsey living there, and Laurie didn't miss a chance to have a long conversation with him. Though Sloan's Crossing would soon become a ghost town, the younger people quickly moving away to larger places, the surrounding area was green with good grass and boasted a large creek that was filled with water even when other places suffered from droughts. The creek was fed by a natural spring that never went dry.  
  
Jack explained to Laurie that most drovers made it a point to stop at this place, let the cattle rest a bit and graze and drink to their hearts' content. The General Store made it a point to keep supplies for the men on the drive – and especially items which a cook would need. Jack's portly wife, Bertha, invited Laurie to supper, and Laurie was delighted to hear stories that Jack told of being trail boss on his own cattle drives. By the end of the evening, Jack and Bertha insisted that Laurie stay with them instead of what they called "that bedbug infested, fleabag hotel" down the street. (Laurie found out later that the hotel accommodations had been just fine, according to the musicians; there were no bedbugs and no fleas either). Bertha was so gracious that Laurie couldn't refuse the offer that was extended her, so she stayed on at the Ramsey household that night.  
  
Laurie felt herself drawn to these good people and, as Bertha was making sure that the extra bedroom was tidy and neat, Laurie told the red-cheeked woman how she felt about Gil. Bertha knew exactly who Laurie was talking about! Jack even knew Gil – and knew him well! Laurie learned that Gil always stopped here for good graze and water and, before long, Jack, Bertha, and Laurie had hatched a plan to surprise the trail boss.  
  
----------  
  
The next day, Jack sat out on the front porch and watched the horizon. The dust clouds from a herd of three thousand cattle were hard to miss, even from this distance of almost an hour away from the creek. According to Laurie's calculations (and Jack's too), Gil's herd should be arriving soon. Early in the afternoon, Jack spotted what he had been waiting for.  
  
Tightening the cinch of his already-saddled horse, Jack called to Bertha and then headed out toward the creek. All he could hope was that this was Gil's herd and not someone else's. And he wasn't disappointed. As soon as he got close enough, he spotted Gil immediately and rode quickly to intercept him.  
  
"Gil, you old dog, you!" he shouted as he approached.  
  
Gil turned around in his saddle to see who was calling him an "old dog." It took only seconds for him to recognize his old friend and to urge his horse forward to close the short distance between them. Practically jumping from their horses' backs, the two men shook hands and clapped each other on the shoulders.  
  
"Jack Ramsey!" Gil exclaimed. "Well, I'll be damned! How'd you know I'd be here?"  
  
"Didn't. I see clouds of dust and know there're beeves out here. Come out to chew the fat with the drovers and kinda relive the good old days. Sure am glad to see you, Gil. It's been a long time!"  
  
The two men walked to camp where Jack was introduced to several of the drovers. Rowdy and Wishbone remembered Jack; Quince and Scarlett had heard of him, and all the men made him feel comfortable as Gil recounted quick stories from times years ago when Jack had been a trail boss.  
  
"How's Bertha?" questioned Gil. "I remember when you two got hitched. Had to miss the wedding, but I was thinkin' about you."  
  
Jack grinned happily. "She's just fine, Gil. As a matter of fact, she'll be along in the buckboard any minute. She likes to bring some supplies that the cook might need that can't be bought in town." He looked over the horizon. "And there she is comin' this way."  
  
And, sure enough, there was Bertha nearing camp. Wishbone was delighted – what good things would Bertha be bringing to them? Maybe some canned fruits and vegetables? Spices? Extra molasses? He rubbed his hands together with glee.  
  
The buckboard came to a stop next to Wish's chuck wagon. Gil and Jack strode up – Jack helped Bertha down and Gil gave her a big hug. Bertha's naturally red cheeks turned even redder as she laughed at him good- naturedly. "Why, Gil Favor! I'm a married woman! You shouldn't be huggin' me like that!"  
  
Gil only laughed as he hugged her again. "If I'd a had good sense, I'd a married you myself!"  
  
Jack continued to smile and then said, "Where's that good-for-nothin' hand you brought out here to help unload stuff? We're too old to be totin' boxes around."  
  
Bertha looked around and made a face. "Good help is hard to find, Jack." She rattled the tarp that covered half the wagon bed. "Wake up, you old lazy bones. Get those boxes out before everything spoils!"  
  
There was a muffled answer as boxes began sliding toward the back of the wagon. Muttering and grunts and groans could be heard from under the tarp. Wish and Mushy were carrying small boxes to the chuck wagon. The aroma of fresh pies wafted under Mushy's nose, and he was extra careful to carry those items.  
  
Jack whispered conspiratorially, "Bertha picks up all kinds of strays. I don't reckon this one'll be with us too long. Too lazy." He shook his head woefully and addressed the lump under the tarp. "Well, you might as well come outta there. Else you'll fall asleep again and we'll get no more work out of you today!"  
  
Back went the tarp and a face appeared. It was Laurie!  
  
All Gil could say was, "What the...?"  
  
"Surprise!" Laurie chortled. And then "Catch me!" as she launched herself out of the wagon bed. Gil's arms reached out for her by pure reflex. Unashamed, she gave him a big hug and a kiss as he held her. And in his surprise, he forgot to put her down. Immediately he was surrounded by his crew – all of them taken aback and happy at the same time. Jack smiled at Bertha as he put his arms around her shoulders whispering, "Maybe we might have us a weddin' to go to soon."  
  
Laurie looked into Gil's eyes. "Are you surprised?"  
  
"Yep!"  
  
"You aren't mad, are you?  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Gil?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"You can put me down now."  
  
Slightly embarrassed, Gil set her feet on the ground but still had his arm around her back. And then the drovers were all hugging her and she felt Gil's hand leave her back. The sun on her blond hair and bright cheeks gave her an extra glow; she couldn't stop smiling. Looking back at Gil, she saw his broad grin and felt butterflies in her stomach.  
  
The group, led by Bertha, made its way toward the chuck wagon where there were huge jars of vegetables and fruits which Bertha had put up not too long ago. There were several large hams, a crate of chickens, many loaves of fresh bread, along with jellies and extra spices. And five fresh pies!  
  
Wishbone did a little jig as he looked at everything. "You musta been in the kitchen all summer to be bringin' this to us!" He slapped Rowdy's hand away from the crust of one of the pies.  
  
"Ah, Wishbone," smiled Bertha. This "lazy hand" (pointing to Laurie) and I just got to thinkin' of things that might come in handy. We cooked during the night and this morning."  
  
Gil looked at Laurie. "You cooked?"  
  
"Of course," Laurie answered smugly. "Do you think I eat out all the time?" She stuck her tongue out at him – and made him remember how that tongue felt against his own. His belly tightened involuntarily.  
  
Toothless rode up to report that the herd was all settled and was munching happily on the green grass and drinking the cold creek water. Only a skeleton crew was left to watch them. When he saw Laurie, he whooped with delight and hugged her until she thought her ribs would break. She threw back her head and laughed as she tried to push away from him.  
  
Gil came to her rescue. Taking her arm, he pried her away from Toothless and led her to the campfire for a cup of coffee. Rowdy and Jack were already there, deep in conversation. Bertha stayed with Wishbone and Mushy, giving help where she could and giving instructions on the use of some of the strange spices she had brought.  
  
Gil and Laurie sat close together, and Laurie listened as Jack and Gil told tales about each other – tales that elicited many a laugh from the crew. Though it apparently went unnoticed, Gil and Laurie touched each other often – a press of a knee here, a touch of a hand there, the pressure of a shoulder against another shoulder. When they looked at each other, there was a "specialness" present. They both felt it in their hearts.  
  
Their thinking that they were fooling anyone was erroneous. Jack and Bertha caught on immediately. The drovers weren't stupid either. Was their boss actually glowing as much as Laurie was? Knowing looks and nudges to the ribs of other men weren't seen by Laurie and Gil - they were not good at hiding how they felt or paying much attention to the men around them.  
  
Time passed too quickly. Soon it was time to eat, and Wishbone and Mushy, with Bertha's help, put out a feast for kings. Drovers came into camp and other drovers rode out, and still there was no end to the food. By the time the pies had been eaten and the last cup of coffee had been finished off, Jack announced that it was time to take Bertha and Laurie back home.  
  
There were hugs and handshakes and many thank-you's said as Jack and Bertha began heading slowly toward the wagon. Gil and Laurie lagged behind. The men graciously turned toward the campfire to afford the couple what little privacy could be had.  
  
"Can you come back tomorrow?" Gil asked. "We'll be here for a coupla more days maybe." His arm was around Laurie's shoulders.  
  
Laurie sighed. "I have to leave tomorrow morning, Gil." She looked sad. Then she brightened. "But, according to my calculations and from what I've heard from Pete, we'll be close enough to see each other in about three weeks."  
  
It was Gil's turn to sigh. "I hate bein' apart from you for so long. I ain't myself."  
  
Laurie stroked his cheek. "I know. It's hard for me too." And then she stood on tiptoe and kissed him so passionately that he was actually stunned momentarily. But then she felt the intensity of his response, felt his arms around her, felt his hands low on her back, pulling her hips closer to his. She could feel the heat rising in her – or was it the heat rising in him that she felt? It didn't matter. She wanted this moment to go on and on. But a subtle cough coming from Jack reminded her that she had to go. Sadly, she broke away from Gil, taking his hands in hers. "Gilfavor, I'm trusting you with my heart."  
  
"It's a safe place, Laurie. It always will be."  
  
They walked hand-in-hand to the waiting wagon where Gil helped her up to the seat next to Bertha. Laurie didn't let go of Gil's hand until she absolutely had to and, even then, she turned around in the seat to watch Gil as long as she could. As the wagon progressed, darkness soon swallowed him, and she turned around to face forward, a lump in her throat.  
  
"He loves you, girl," said Bertha. "You won't find a better man in all the world."  
  
"I know." Laurie wiped a single tear from her cheek. "I know."  
  
----------  
  
The next morning, Gil rose early, shaved quickly and rode away before the rest of the camp began to stir. He headed for where Jack had told him the Ramsey ranch was – he wanted to see Laurie one more time before they were separated again.  
  
Jack was up at his usual early hour, sitting on the porch and drinking a cup of fresh-brewed coffee. "Hey, Gil! Come on over, sit down, and have a cup of coffee with me!"  
  
Gil swung down out of the saddle and ambled over to a porch chair, sitting down and stretching his long legs. Bertha had been up early, so she brought out coffee and fresh biscuits slathered with butter. She headed back inside after her smiling "Good morning."  
  
The men sat in thoughtful silence for a while, then they made small talk. Jack scrutinized Gil and saw what he would call a "case of the jitters" below Gil's tough exterior. Finally, Gil could stand it no more and spoke. "I came to see Laurie. She still asleep?"  
  
Jack had a funny look on his face. "Gil, I thought she told you. Bertha and I took her to town last night so she could leave with the rest of her crew this morning."  
  
Gil almost choked on the biscuit he was chewing. "What time were they gonna leave?"  
  
"I don't know. Early, I think. Whatever that means."  
  
Hastily putting down his cup and swallowing the biscuit quickly, Gil jumped to his feet. "No, she didn't tell me. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I can still catch her!"  
  
He rode away in a cloud of dust. Bertha came out on the porch and cocked her head. "My, he left in a hurry!"  
  
Jack looked at Bertha, a smile on his face. "He's lookin' for Laurie. I hope he finds her before she leaves."  
  
Alas, by the time Gil arrived in town, Laurie and the musicians had been gone over an hour. Gil knew he had wasted precious time talking with Jack when he thought that Laurie was there. Why didn't I ask about Laurie right off? He knew needed to be back with the herd soon so, deeply disappointed, he turned his horse around and headed back to camp.  
  
The men were finishing their breakfast when he arrived. He scowled as he strode up to the group. "This ain't no pic-a-nic!" he shouted. "Get in those saddles and let's get these beeves movin'!"  
  
Rowdy looked confused. "Uh, boss, I thought we were gonna be stayin' here for another day or so."  
  
"Well, we ain't. We're leavin' right now! Wishbone! Mushy! Get those wagons closed up and let's get this drive goin'!" With that, he stalked off.  
  
Wishbone looked at Rowdy and Mushy. "Uh-oh. Another 'Laurie mood.' Wonder what happened? It's gonna be a while before he gets another letter and is happy again."  
  
Rowdy kicked a rock and then walked with Pete and Scarlett to the remuda to get their horses. "I hope a letter comes real soon..."  
  
----------  
  
Laurie looked at the things she had spread out on her hotel-room bed. Then she smiled brightly as she reached for the packet of letters that she had received from Gil and read every single one of them again. She had cooked up yet another plot, and she packed her valise carefully making sure to take only those things that she would need. The other things were packed in her steamer trunk and were given to one of the musicians to carry ahead. She couldn't wait to see the look on Gil's face when her plan came to fruition.  
  
They had been writing so regularly – and often sending telegrams – that she knew almost to the day where the herd would be. And where the herd could be found, so could Gil. Her heart thumped in anticipation.  
  
When the sun had reached its highest point, Laurie saddled her horse and left Ten Trees behind. On the far outskirts of town, she dismounted and leaned against a stump and waited and watched. As late afternoon approached, she began to wonder if her timing was off or if something had happened to hold up the herd. Scanning the horizon, she breathed a sigh of relief – there was a huge cloud of dust that could only be made by three thousand head of cattle – cattle that were being driven by Gil. She had to wait for a while until the cloud of dust got closer and then she would make her move.  
  
----------  
  
Both Gil and Pete were keeping a watch out, for this was Indian country. Though they had never had bad trouble here before, they always lost a good many head of cattle to Indians who sneaked in during the night and who disappeared into thin air the next morning. It wasn't worth a fight for the missing cattle – Gil didn't want to lose any of his men and certainly didn't want to start a full-blown war that the drovers might lose. So he allowed the cattle to "go missing".  
  
Pete pointed his finger at a lone figure on a small ridge about half a mile away. "Indian?" he asked.  
  
"Dunno," came Gil's answer. "Hard to tell from here. Guess we'll soon find out." They held their horses to a walk and closed the distance between them and the strange figure.  
  
Laurie took a deep breath and then nudged her horse into a canter. As the distance between her and the two men decreased, Pete swore, "My Lord, that looks like Laurie!" Both he and Gil spurred their horses into a gallop and soon could positively see that it was, indeed, the woman in question. Her hat flew backward, held on only by the leather strap, and her hair gleamed in the sunlight. There was no mistaking that smile!  
  
Pete, using a great amount of discretion, slowed down to a walk and let Gil meet Laurie alone. By the time he reached the pair, they had hugged and kissed several times and were talking animatedly. Laurie leaned over to Pete to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"What in the world possessed you to come way out here?" questioned Pete.  
  
Laurie wrinkled her nose at him. "I missed the smell of saddles and cattle and Wish's cooking. I thought maybe, if I promise to be good, that you would let me ride with all of you for a couple of days."  
  
Gil scowled. "Don't you know that this is Indian country? Don't you realize you could have been in trouble and nobody woulda knowed it? Now you just turn your horse right around and I'll take you back to Ten Trees."  
  
"Nope," she answered. "I'm here now, my jeans and shirts are packed, and the next town is three days away. You're stuck with me."  
  
Gil, of course, didn't mind the thought, but the idea of Indians lurking around made him uneasy. He tried to explain this to Laurie, but she wouldn't listen to reason. Gil shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose like he always did when he was exasperated.  
  
"Aw, boss," Pete interjected. "She's right. She's here now and it's safer to keep her with us than to send her back."  
  
Gil glared at Pete but knew that the scout was right. Laurie would be safer here for a short time and then could be sent back to town in three days. Secretly he was so glad to see her that the decision was easy for him. He relented and was blessed with a big smile from Laurie. His only words of caution were that she had to stay either with the wagons or be in the company of a man at all times. Of course, she readily agreed. The trio rode off to where Wishbone and Mushy had set up camp. There were the usual hugs and laughter when Laurie dismounted – the men always made her feel so welcome. Mushy brought her coffee and, in his excitement, almost spilled it on her. But she didn't laugh at him; she never did, even when the men often made him the butt of jokes and laughter.  
  
That night, at supper, Laurie took her place at Gil's side. There were few men in camp because Gil had posted double guards to keep an eye on the herd. He would do this until Indian country was far behind them. Laurie listened to the men as they talked of problems they had encountered in this part of the country. She realized then how big a chance she had taken in riding out here on her own. But she knew that she would be safe here so she relaxed.  
  
After she helped scrub the pots and dishes, and as the drovers crawled into their bedrolls, she sat next to Gil, leaning against his shoulder, and looked into the fire. "What's happening to us, Gil? I think I know what's happening to me but is it happening to you too?"  
  
He touched her cheek and ran his thumb across her lips. "You have to ask?" Then he jerked his head to the side and practically leered at her. "Come walk with me."  
  
When they got out of sight of camp, Gil swept her into his arms and kissed her over and over again. "How could you even ask such a question?"  
  
"I just am afraid of this being a one-way street," came Laurie's answer when she could catch her breath. She buried her head in his shoulder. "I've chased you all over creation. Maybe it might be a fun game for you. But it's not a game with me."  
  
"This ain't a game, Laurie. I've said things to you, written things to you, that should prove that. What we need is time together. Lots of time." He turned her face up to his, then patted his pocket. "You are with me always. Right next to my heart." He pulled the locket out of his shirt. "Don't that tell you what you want to know?"  
  
Laurie's answer was to pull his face down to hers for one of the most passionate kisses she had ever had or given. Feeling like she was on fire, and also feeling the response of his body, she backed away reluctantly and took a deep breath. "This still isn't the right time or place."  
  
"I know." The locket went back inside Gil's shirt.  
  
"But there will be," she said as she kissed the tip of his nose. Gil lit a cigarette as he watched her walk back to camp. It was a good thing that Laurie was sleeping under the stars instead of in the supply wagon. If he chose to carry his feelings any further, the supply wagon would be cramped but would serve a good purpose. He was weak in the knees and sat down to do some serious thinking.  
  
----------  
  
There was no Indian raid that night though there were hoofprints of unshod horses all around. Gil looked grim as he cautioned the men to stay together in pairs and to keep their eyes open, even though he figured that the Indians would make their move only under cover of darkness. He was wrong.  
  
He and Pete, Wishbone and Mushy, and Laurie were sitting in the middle of camp when a large band of Indians appeared. This band was not headed by Red Eagle but by a fierce brave named NaTanta. Gil whispered to Laurie, "Put your braid under your hat and don't say a word!" Laurie did as she was told.  
  
NaTanta spoke very little English but his ultimate point was clear – he wanted half the herd. Gil looked him in the eye and gave a negative response. Wishbone tried to sneak out his rifle, but the Indians were quicker than Wish was. Now there were twenty guns pointed at Gil's group. For the first time, Laurie felt real fear, felt sweat rolling down her back, felt her heart almost stop when NaTanta's beady eyes fixed on her.  
  
Pete muttered, "Uh-oh. What'll happen if he discovers that Laurie is a woman?" Although Pete spoke as much Kiowa as NaTanta did English, it was clear that the loss of some beeves wasn't the only problem.  
  
NaTanta slid off his horse and made a beeline for Laurie. Mushy tried to stand in front of her but was clouted on the head so hard that he went unconscious temporarily. NaTanta dragged the woman to where Pete and Gil were standing and snatched off her hat. Out popped her braid. Gil groaned inwardly then glared at NaTanta. "She is my woman. Leave her alone!"  
  
Laurie, though terribly frightened, turned icy eyes toward NaTanta and held his gaze. He walked a circle around her and undid her braid. Her hair unwound into a mass of curls and waves. Even Gil had never seen her with her hair down and, for the moment, he was distracted. NaTanta smiled and stood in front of Laurie again, looking into her impassive face. Laurie's hand went out and untied one of NaTanta's braids. He reached out and grabbed her breast; she reached out and twisted one of his nipples – hard. He jumped back in surprise and heard snickers from his braves. He slapped her across the face for being so impertinent; she immediately slapped him back. Giving his loudest war whoop, NaTanta watched the woman's expression which still remained impassive. All of a sudden, she opened her mouth, sucked in as much air as she could, and let out a prolonged note in her highest soprano voice. Had the situation not been so serious, the reactions would've been laughable. The Indian ponies jumped and bucked; some even ran away with their riders hanging on for dear life. NaTanta made the mistake of trying to grab at his own horse and, while his back was turned, Gil had pulled out his gun. So had Pete. Wishbone had his rifle out and had shoved a gun into the now-awakening Mushy's hand. Seeing that he was now outnumbered, NaTanta swung up onto his pony's back and, with hate in his eyes, turned and galloped off to recover his scattered band, his ears still ringing from the sound of Laurie's voice.  
  
Addressing nobody in particular, Gil muttered, "Looks like we're okay for right now." He took Laurie's arm and could feel the trembling there. Before he could say anything else, a handful of drovers rode up.  
  
Rowdy, the first one to reach the scene, tried to listen to Wishbone, Mushy and Pete all at the same time. Finally, he got enough snippets to put together what happened.  
  
"What made you come in so fast?" asked Gil.  
  
Rowdy put his hands to his ears. "We heard a horrible sound coming from camp. Thought we oughtta investigate."  
  
Gil looked at Laurie. "I didn't know that a woman could make such a sound."  
  
Rowdy looked from Gil to Pete to Laurie. "You did that?"  
  
Laurie looked defensive. "He whooped at me, so I whooped back. Guess it scared everybody away."  
  
Rowdy looked at the horizon. "Yeah, guess it did at that. It even scared the beeves. Talk about a tornado in a tin can..."  
  
Gil's face was stormy. "Keep double guards on all night. They want half the herd and now they're mad to boot. Anythin' can happen, so keep your eyes peeled. Pass the word on to the others." Then, "Wish, make sandwiches for supper. We'll eat in the saddle."  
  
When the men had walked off, Gil turned to Laurie. He didn't know whether to spank her or kiss her. He decided to put his arms around her and stood that way until the trembling in her body ceased.  
  
"Will they really come back?" she asked fearfully.  
  
"Count on it. From now on, you make it a point to stick close to camp. No riding off anywhere. No going anywhere unless somebody's with you. That's an order!"  
  
Laurie was not used to being ordered around, but she kept her mouth shut. Gil was trying to protect her and she would do what she was told. But she could still hear him saying, "She is my woman."  
  
----------  
  
The next morning, Gil was torn between two moods: a good one because Laurie was with him and then a guarded one because of the Indian situation. NaTanta was not one to take humiliation and embarrassment, especially in front of his braves. Having a double guard on the herd left the camp short of men, a fact which made Gil uneasy. But, this was early afternoon and he knew that Indians usually waited for the cover of darkness before they made their move to steal horses. Or they made their raids in the early hours of dawn.  
  
Wishbone and Mushy had made a picnic lunch for Gil and Laurie and, although Gil knew he needed to keep an eye on the herd, he trusted Rowdy, Pete, Scarlett and Quince to be alert. Taking the small box from Wishbone, who had a large twinkle in both eyes, Laurie and Gil walked happily toward the trees and the lush green grass of a nearby meadow. They didn't go too far – they would still be within earshot of Wishbone and Mushy and whatever drovers might be coming in to grab something to eat.  
  
Laurie put the small box down on a flat rock and teasingly batted Gil's hand away as he knelt down and tried to reach inside for a sandwich. He reached in again, smiling, and she smacked his hand lightly, sticking her tongue out at him. He couldn't help but smile at her – her happiness was contagious. Impishly, as he tried for a third time to grab for the box, she pushed him, causing him to lose his balance and end up on his backside. She laughed and then stuck her tongue out at him again – the race was on! Getting to his feet quickly, he grabbed for her, missed, and she began to back peddle out of his reach. It wasn't long before both of them were running – the hunted and the hunter.  
  
Wishbone and Mushy heard Laurie's squeals of pretend terror and knew that the couple was having some fun. Rowdy rode in with Scarlett and, hearing sounds coming from the nearby meadow, they questioned Wishbone as to what was going on.  
  
Wishbone stuck out his chin. "Why, they're having a picnic. And from the sounds of things, they are havin' a wonderful time. Besides, they need some privacy and Mr. Favor needs to relax a little."  
  
Rowdy and Scarlett winked at each other, grabbed some food, and then returned to the herd. What could possibly go wrong on such a day?  
  
----------  
  
Though Laurie had long legs, Gil's were longer and he finally closed the distance between them. Executing a flying leap, he grabbed one of Laurie's legs and pulled her to the ground. They had a mock battle – the woman trying to get away, the man not letting go and finally grabbing her around the waist. The only way to keep the wriggling female still was to literally sprawl out on top of her until she tired and settled down. They both were laughing like children.  
  
"Okay, okay," conceded Laurie. "I give up." She giggled uncontrollably.  
  
"May not let you get up. Keepin' food from a hungry trail boss is a serious offense." Gil, too, had a laughing fit.  
  
Suddenly things changed. They both stopped laughing as they realized the literal position they were in. They became aware of each others' bodies and the giggling and chuckling stopped. Blue eyes searched green eyes and then lips touched lips with increasing passion. This was the right time and the right place – a time that Laurie and Gil had both been waiting for. Gil hesitantly put a hand on Laurie's hip and then moved his hand to her waist and up to cup one breast gently. Laurie's breath quickened. The heat from Gil's hand was practically burning her flesh and there were tingles all through her body. Callused hands began slowly unbuttoning her shirt.  
  
Closing her eyes and getting lost in the intensity of her feelings, Laurie felt Gil's entire body stiffen. His hands stopped moving. She heard him say, "Don't move. Don't make a sound." The only move she made was to open her eyes. Beyond Gil's face, she saw three men – and one of them was NaTanta! Gil continued to shield her body until he was wrenched away from her; she jumped to her feet immediately and stared into evil dark eyes. NaTanta grabbed her roughly by the arm and began dragging her away. She fought him – scratching, kicking, and biting. Gil was involved in his own battle with two of the braves, and it was a battle he lost for he got knocked unconscious by a vicious blow to his head. Filled with terror, Laurie tried to scream, but NaTanta was one step ahead of her – he covered her mouth until she felt she couldn't breathe, and then she felt herself being dragged away. As her mind began to dim, she realized that Gil was being dragged away also, his face bloody from the beating he had taken. Laurie felt herself being thrown across a horse's back and, even as she tried to inhale much-needed oxygen, she fought and kicked until she too was clubbed on the head. Her mind faded into darkness.  
  
----------  
  
Back at camp, Wishbone looked at Mushy. The laughter had ceased from the area of the meadow and all was quiet. When Mushy asked the reason for the silence, Wishbone gave him a big smile. "They're still havin' fun. They're just being discreet about it."  
  
Mushy looked at Wishbone. "What's 'discreet' mean?"  
  
Wishbone rolled his eyes and continued to knead the dough for a new batch of bread. "Mushy, there're just some things that I can't take the time to explain to you. At your age, you oughtta know anyhow!" He returned his attention to the bread dough and left Mushy scratching his head for a while. "Oh, I get it now!" he proclaimed and blushed. Then he began peeling potatoes.  
  
As the afternoon passed and there was no sight or sound from either the boss or Laurie, Wishbone began to grow a little concerned. The duo should be back by now. Laurie was good about helping with the cooking – such that it was since the drovers stayed in the saddle most all day – and the boss should be checking on the men and the herd. When Toothless and Sam rode up, Wishbone passed on his concerns to the two drovers. "I'm sure they're all right. Maybe they just fell asleep. But it ain't like Mr. Favor to not check on things like he should."  
  
Toothless and Sam both had no desire to interrupt what might be going on with Laurie and the boss, so they grabbed a sandwich and headed out to tell Rowdy. At first, the ramrod just grinned. But the more he thought about the situation, the more concerned he got. He went over to Pete to discuss his feelings. They both decided that one of them ought to check on things – and Pete volunteered Rowdy to do it. After all, Rowdy was the ramrod.  
  
Rowdy sighed and muttered as he left the herd and headed toward the meadow. He planned to take a quick peek and size up the situation. Then he would quietly return to the herd and tell Pete that everything was okay. Reaching the meadow, Rowdy discovered that everything was not okay. There was no Laurie or Mr. Favor, and the picnic box hadn't been touched. His blood ran cold when he saw the imprint of what looked to be several unshod hoof prints in the few patches of sand. Hurrying back to camp, he was informed that Laurie and the boss hadn't been seen for a few hours. Wishbone was edgy – he had a bad feeling in his gut. Despite the fact that galloping back to the herd might cause a stampede, Rowdy galloped anyway and found Pete. They both returned to the meadow where, upon close inspection, there were droplets of blood on the blades of grass in addition to the hoof prints. Pete's face was grim. "We need to get as many men as we can, the ones who can keep their mouths shut so as not to scare the rest of the drovers, and then we need to make a plan. Laurie and Mr. Favor have been kidnapped!"  
  
The chosen few were Rowdy, Pete, Wishbone, Scarlett, and Quince. They huddled together and whispered among themselves until they had come up with a plan – a dangerous one. But would it work?  
  
----------  
  
Even before anyone realized that the couple was missing, Laurie began to wake up. Over the pounding in her head, she could hear someone calling her name. Though she wanted to return to sleep, her eyes began to open involuntarily. Something was tickling her face and, when her eyes were wide open, she could see that it was a bear rug. She tried to touch her throbbing head but found that she was unable to move her arms. At first she thought they had gone to sleep but she soon realized that they were bound behind her back. Her mind began to clear and she kept hearing her name being called. She had no idea where she was but she recognized the voice. It was Gil's voice urging her to wake up.  
  
Turning her head slowly to ward off the dizziness she felt, she saw Gil – his face crusted with dried blood. "Laurie! Laurie! Wake up!"  
  
"Gil? Is that you? Are you okay? Where are we?" She saw that Gil's hands were behind his back and noticed that one foot was tied to a teepee pole far away from her.  
  
"I'm okay. Guess I look worse than I feel. NaTanta got us. We're in one of the teepees."  
  
Laurie began to crawl over to Gil but found that one of her feet was tied to a pole also. She tried standing up and found that the rope binding her foot wouldn't allow her to get close to the trail boss. He found himself in the same circumstance. But they discovered that, if they both stretched toward each other as far as the tethers would allow, their faces were only a foot apart.  
  
Laurie's memory began to return. "I remember what happened now. Oh, Gil, look at the blood on your face!" Tears stung her eyes.  
  
"Looks worse than it is," he reiterated. "Face and scalp wounds bleed a lot but aren't serious." He was trying to comfort her and erase the panic he saw on her face.  
  
"Why are we here? What did we do to deserve this?" she asked, trying hard to control her emotions.  
  
"My guess is that they want the whole herd and that we're being held for ransom," came the answer. "NaTanta's mad and humiliated from yesterday. Today is payback."  
  
Laurie wailed. "It's all my fault. I should've just been quiet and still."  
  
"Hush, darlin'," whispered Gil. "If they hear us talking to each other, they'll separate us."  
  
Laurie dutifully dropped her voice. "What's gonna happen to us now?"  
  
"Don't know. But..." Gil was interrupted by footsteps at the door flap to the tent. "Roll away from me. Quick!"  
  
Laurie asked no questions. She rolled until her head spun and her stomach churned from the dizziness.  
  
The flap opened and a new Indian face appeared. He looked at the couple and made a grunting sound. "I am Bear Claw. NaTanta has sent me here to speak the English with you and to make a deal with the tall man."  
  
Gil pulled himself into a sitting position, feeling the prickles of circulation return to his arms. His head pounded also, but he ignored the pain and gave Bear Claw his complete attention.  
  
"NaTanta will take only half of the cows if he can have the woman too."  
  
"No!" Gil exploded. "My woman is not part of any deal!"  
  
Bear Claw walked toward Laurie and bent down to touch her hair. "NaTanta wants the golden-haired woman." Laurie shrank from his touch.  
  
Looking at Gil, he continued. "If you do as NaTanta asks, you will go free and have half of your herd. There will be no killing. No war with your men."  
  
"No!" Gil exploded again. "My woman stays with me. You will have to fight my men for the cattle. There will be death on both sides."  
  
Bear Claw reached out to touch Laurie's face. She bared her teeth and hissed ferociously at the interpreter. Momentarily taken aback by such a display, Bear Claw looked grimly at Gil. "Then you will die and NaTanta will have your woman anyway. And he will make war on your men and they will die too."  
  
"NaTanta will not have me. I will kill myself first!" Laura said through her bared teeth. "Whatever happens to my man will happen to me. I will make it so."  
  
Bear Claw was impressed with the attitudes of both the man and the woman. They showed no fear. "I will speak with NaTanta and tell him what you have said." With that, he exited the teepee.  
  
"Will they truly kill you?" asked Laurie. "It would serve no purpose."  
  
Gil's face was grim. "They might. Might not."  
  
"If they kill you, then I will die also." Laurie looked at the rope around her foot. "There's enough slack in here for me to hang myself if I try hard enough. Or strangle myself. I won't live without you, Gil."  
  
Gil rolled back toward the woman; she rolled back toward him. "Don't talk that way, darlin'. By now, somebody at camp knows we're missing and they'll be making a plan. We can try making plans of our own right now. First thing to do is to get untied." But there was no way to reach the ropes binding their hands. Laurie tried to untie the rope at her feet with her teeth – to no avail. There was nothing in the teepee sharp enough to use as a cutting tool.  
  
Gil tried backing up to the pole binding his feet but was unable to get his hands to work the intricate knots out of the rope. If he pulled too hard, the whole teepee would come falling down. That would probably mean immediate torture, if not death itself. Trying to extricate his hands from the bonds was fruitless.  
  
Exhausted, the pair stretched out as close to each other as they could get. Laurie looked into Gil's eyes. "I wish..." She paused.  
  
"Wish what?"  
  
"I wish we had finished what we started in the meadow," she answered quietly. Gil looked at her tenderly but couldn't find the right words to answer her. He knew what was in his heart but the words wouldn't come.  
  
Some lyrics to an old song ran through Laurie's head. She sang softly. "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. We missed that chance."  
  
"Love comes from the heart as well as the body," answered Gil when he could finally speak. "The best love, the strongest, comes from the heart." And though he didn't say it, Laurie knew then that he was telling her that he loved her – she could hear it in the tone of his voice, could see it by the warmth in his eyes and by the tender look on his face.  
  
"I was right to trust you with my heart," was all she could say. "Our hearts have found their home. I'm not afraid any more."  
  
----------  
  
This time, Laurie heard the approaching of feet. Moments before the teepee flap opened, she could hear both Bear Claw and NaTanta. She and Gil rolled quickly away from each other – neither of them wanted to be separated from the other. NaTanta entered first and stood looking at his captives. Bear Claw checked the ropes that bound them and found them to be intact. Both Indians had expected that the pair would have tried to escape by now and were rather disappointed that no effort had been made to do so.  
  
Bear Claw approached Gil. "Have you made up your mind about the woman and the cattle?"  
  
Tight-lipped, Gil answered, "I haven't changed my mind. No deal! My men will not give up the herd without a fight – even if the fight is to the death."  
  
Bear Claw translated this conversation to NaTanta who then approached Laurie, pulling her to a standing position roughly. He said something to Bear Claw who translated the message to Gil. "NaTanta wants this woman. He would take fewer cattle in exchange for keeping her."  
  
As Bear Claw was speaking, NaTanta walked around Laurie and touched her all over. Gil was filled with anger but was helpless to do anything as he watched NaTanta rip Laurie's shirt down to her waist, leaving her with only a filmy camisole on. NaTanta smiled an evil smile as he put his hands over Laurie's breasts. Gil lunged toward the Indian but succeeded in only rattling the pole he was staked to and getting a kick in the ribs from Bear Claw. He was knocked to the ground and could do nothing.  
  
As for Laurie, despite the dizziness and the throbbing of her head and the nausea that she felt, she fixed icy eyes on NaTanta and stood her ground, seemingly unafraid. "You will never have me," she growled. "If anything happens to my man, then you will have one dead white woman on your hands." Again, Bear Claw translated her message.  
  
NaTanta eyed her suspiciously. He didn't know how she could kill herself, but he knew she had a very strange power in her voice that scared men and horses. Perhaps she had more powers that he wasn't aware of. "Then you both shall die before the sun rises." When Bear Claw announced this, Laurie felt lightheaded but continued to stand her ground, glaring angrily at both Indians before they turned and left the teepee.  
  
Laurie sank to her knees and then looked at Gil. The kick to his ribs by a moccasined foot had done little damage. "Laurie, you're a strong woman. You could make yourself live as an Indian if you had to. Let them take me and save yourself."  
  
Rolling towards Gil, Laurie looked deep into his eyes. "Listen to me, Gilfavor! No Indian will ever have me. If you die, I don't want to live. I won't live without you! So just accept that fact!" She glared at him and muttered that his idea was the stupidest thing she had ever heard of.  
  
In spite of her icy green eyes boring into him, Gil had to chuckle. "Tornado in a tin can." His chuckle broke the tension, and he rolled as close as he could to face this woman that he knew he loved. Then he rolled onto his stomach to take the pressure off his arms. Laurie did the same and found that she too could get some circulation going in her arms and hands by wiggling around. The ropes were just loose enough to not cut off the blood supply to their hands but were tight enough to keep them from getting away. Guards stood at the front of the teepee.  
  
----------  
  
By the waning light inside the teepee, Laurie and Gil knew that night was approaching. Having had nothing to eat since breakfast that morning, they were both weak from hunger and cramped from being bound for so long. Believing that this would be their last night together, and intuiting by Laurie's silence that she was afraid (despite her protests to the contrary), Gil decided to try to distract her, though temporarily, from her despair.  
  
"When we get outta this mess," he whispered, "what plans do you have for your life? I know we've talked about this before, but I wanna know again."  
  
Laurie, who was scared spitless but was too proud to show it, knew what Gil was trying to do. So she played along. "I think I'll move West, maybe to Texas, maybe to Colorado or Wyoming. Haven't decided yet. The big city has lost its appeal to me. Too many people, too many buildings, too cramped."  
  
"But what about your singing career?"  
  
"I've enjoyed being on stage. Expressing myself through my singing has been wonderful. But sometimes a person just knows when to move on. What I want now is a small house with a garden to grow flowers and vegetables in. Since you taught me how to ride, I'd want to have some horses. And I love dogs and would want them too. Maybe some chickens...."  
  
"What kind of house would you want?"  
  
"Hmm. Not a huge house but with enough rooms in it so I could have friends come and visit and stay with me for a while. Maybe a big kitchen. Everything would be so 'homey' that folks would be comfortable the minute they walked in the door. Of course, I'd want a big front porch with rocking chairs and maybe a swing." Laurie looked dreamy-eyed, and then turned the question back on Gil.  
  
"So, Gilfavor. Tell me more about your plans. What do you picture in your mind?"  
  
"We've been through my plans before. I'd move out West and would buy about a hundred acres of good land with grass for livestock and a creek for fresh water. It'd be nice to have a place to do some fishin'. My girls would come live with me and give their aunt Eleanor time to live her own life. She's taken care of my kids for so long that she deserves some time of her own. I'd build a good-sized house with a big front porch. Maybe even have a white picket fence."  
  
Laurie eyed him impishly. "Do you like dogs?"  
  
"Yep. Might even have some dogs too." Gil was no fool, and he knew where this conversation was going. He didn't mind at all but he wanted to keep playing this game with Laurie to keep them both distracted.  
  
"Would you have rocking chairs on the front porch?"  
  
"Yep. Rocking chairs and a swing for me and my wife."  
  
"Wife!" Laurie blurted. "I thought you said you had no inclination and no time to look for a wife!"  
  
Gil tried to hide his grin. "Things'll be different then. Gotta have a wife to watch over my girls. Maybe I might even try for a son or two."  
  
Laurie was no fool either. She knew that Gil was deliberately baiting her. "And what kind of woman would you choose? What kind of personality? What would she look like?"  
  
Gil stretched and flexed his arms and legs to ease the cramping. "She'd be a lady. Sometimes." He chuckled, knowing that Laurie would take his meaning. "Probably have a flair for getting either into trouble or causing it. She would love children and would be good with them. She wouldn't be afraid to try new things. She'd be a good cook." He paused. "What would she look like? I reckon she'd be tall and long-legged. She'd have long hair – probably blond. And green eyes."  
  
Laurie watched Gil's face soften as he looked at her. "Well, I'd have to have a husband of course. I can't do all the work around the house – I'm no good at fixing things."  
  
"Describe him, this husband of yours."  
  
Laurie pursed her mouth and deliberately took several minutes before she answered. "He'd have to be tall. He'd want lots of kids and would be able to show them unconditional love. He'd be the kind of man who would move with an easy, masculine grace – a man equally at home in the saddle or sitting in a rocking chair. He would be gentle at the right time and tough at the right time. He'd have dark hair. And ocean-blue eyes."  
  
Both man and woman knew exactly what they were saying – and they understood the depth of the meanings. They smiled tenderly at each other and then grew quiet as they thought their own thoughts. Laurie whispered, just loud enough for Gil to hear, "I've gotten what I always wanted: to love and be loved."  
  
----------  
  
The pounding of the drums and the constant chanting of the Indians outside the teepee gave Laurie a bigger headache. Those sounds also made Gil aware that the braves were working themselves into frenzy – maybe to steal the cattle, maybe to kill him and Laurie, or maybe both. It didn't bode well, but the trail boss kept quiet. To distract both himself and Laurie, he asked her to sing, quietly, some songs they both knew. The songs she chose were those that had been sung around the campfire so many months ago. Even though Gil didn't have the greatest voice, he sang along with her. Every now and then, an Indian face appeared at the front flap then promptly disappeared. Obviously these captives were behaving themselves and would pose no trouble.  
  
Gil was the first to hear a soft ripping sound behind him. He listened hard as the ripping sound continued. To his great surprise (and delight), Rowdy's head popped through the slit in the tent and, through sign language of a sort, he instructed his boss to keep singing. He entered the teepee followed by Scarlett. Laurie was so shocked that she stopped singing altogether until Scarlett told her to sing a little louder and thus fool the braves guarding the tent. Her throat dry, Laurie took "Home on the Range" up an octave as Rowdy and Scarlett, with knives honed to a deadly sharpness, cut all the bindings on both man and woman. Laurie and Gil continued to sing even as they silently squeezed out of the slit in the tent and, with Gil half-dragging a weakened Laurie, they disappeared quietly into the woods. Laurie started to speak, but Gil shushed her. Horses were waiting for them beyond the tree line and, as soon as they were mounted, Quince gave an owl hoot to Pete signifying that all went well. By this time, the whole group was out of earshot, and each rider broke into a gallop back to the safety of camp. Laurie's torn shirt flapped in the breeze as she struggled to keep up. The air was cool; her skin prickled from the air and from fear. Looking around only once, she saw Gil at her side and found some comfort in that.  
  
Arriving at camp, Gil could see that all was in readiness for the expected raid. He knew that NaTanta would be furious at the loss of his captives and that the drovers had been given enough time to prepare for an all-out fight. All the horses jumped the blockade that had been thrown together for the men to hide behind; Laurie promptly fell off her horse and lost what little bit of shirt she had on. There she was, in the middle of a camp full of men, wearing jeans and a camisole. And she was so scared that she didn't even notice. Hey Soos was there in seconds to return all the horses to the remuda.  
  
Quickly, Gil appraised the situation. Pete and Rowdy had pushed most of the herd into somewhat of a box canyon not too far away. There were double guards there. The horses milled around in the meadow, tied securely and watched by a double guard. The rest of the men were in camp, rifles and guns loaded and with enough ammunition to fight a great battle.  
  
"Wishbone!" he hollered. "Get me a shirt! Now!" But Wishbone had seen Laurie and was already running in his bandy-legged way toward her. Both Gil and Wishbone helped an unsteady Laurie into a warm shirt – which turned out to belong to Toothless, so the fit was almost laughable. Mushy shoved steaming cups of coffee and biscuits with jam into every hand. Laurie ate hers so fast that she feared it might come back up, but she kept it down and felt her weakness begin to drain away. Dipping a wet cloth in the water bucket, she wiped the dried blood from Gil's face.  
  
"Now, get in the supply wagon," directed Gil. "Don't know when NaTanta will show up, but I want you out of sight and safe." He held her arms gently and kissed her forehead as he turned her around toward the wagon. "I've come too far to lose you now." Laurie wanted to protest but figured this wasn't the time or the place, so she did as she was told.  
  
However, leaving Laurie in the supply wagon by herself turned out not to be a good idea. In trying to find a comfortable place to sit, she spied a gun and picked it up to investigate it. Having never held a gun before, this took some time but, as luck would have it, she figured out where the cylinder was, how bullets were inserted, and how to aim using the guide on the front of the barrel. She sat and waited knowing that she could protect herself if she had to. Then she put her head back against a sack of flour and drifted into sleep while the men took posts at the blockade to see when NaTanta would show up.  
  
And show up he did. And, under a full moon, the fighting began. Laurie was wrenched from her sleep by the sounds of what seemed to be an army shooting practically right under her. The sound of galloping horses going by was deafening; there were war whoops and then screams from the injured or dying. Gathering her courage, Laurie peeked out of the wagon flap. So many Indians, so few men. Finding courage she didn't know she had, she left the wagon and knelt down next to Gil. He was furious and pushed her flat on the ground.  
  
"Didn't I tell you to stay in the wagon!" he yelled.  
  
"Yep. But my place is beside you. She lifted the gun at a passing Indian and squeezed the trigger." Of course, she missed the man altogether.  
  
"You can't even shoot that damn gun! Now get in the wagon!" hollered Gil as he took aim and knocked a brave from his horse.  
  
"Nope. Gonna stay right here til this is over and done." She glared stubbornly. She heard Gil curse under his breath but he had no time to say more.  
  
Laurie pointed the gun and fired again, the pistol bucking almost out of her hand. She heard Gil say, in a fury, "At least use both hands to hold the damn thing. You're likely to shoot me instead of them!"  
  
On her third shot, Laurie discovered that two hands worked much better. She had more control. When she fired, she saw an Indian fall from his horse. But she couldn't be sure that her bullet had done the damage – there was just too much shooting going on.  
  
Gil cursed as he had to take the time to reload his rifle. It was just enough time for Laurie to see a painted-face brave approaching at a gallop – and right toward them. He was only a few feet away when Laurie fired her fourth shot and hit the Indian smack in the face. He fell dead at Gil's feet.  
  
"Did you do that?" he asked with a strange look on his face.  
  
"Shut up and reload, you slackard!" she hissed. She took aim and fired and, again, her bullet found its mark.  
  
Nobody knew whose bullet it was that struck NaTanta and killed him. But dead he was. The Indians drew back and the fighting stopped. Tense moments passed before Bear Claw appeared alone; Gil rose and walked toward him.  
  
"NaTanta is dead. We will fight with you no more. We wish to gather our dead and injured ones and return to camp."  
  
Gil nodded his assent. Bear Claw walked to where NaTanta's body was sprawled and stood looking down at him. Then the interpreter lifted the body and put it on a horse and walked away. Other members of the tribe came into view, helping the wounded onto horses and loading the dead onto what horses were left.  
  
Laurie was saddened by this pitiful sight. She heard Gil whisper to her, "Things like this happen out here sometimes. One day maybe the red man and the white man will learn to live together peaceably." With a pat on her shoulder, he turned away and headed towards his men to see if any of them had been hurt. Sam took a bullet to his shoulder but would be all right; Toothless tripped over a rock and sprained his ankle. Everyone else was okay, and Gil sent riders out to check on the men at the remuda and at the canyon where the herd was. Word came back to him that there had been no problems in those areas.  
  
Gil took Laurie aside and began growling at her. "Why can't you listen to what I say? I told you to stay in the wagon where you would be safe. Not only did you not stay in the wagon, you came out with a gun that you had no idea how to use! Do you realize what a stupid thing that was? I'd like to shake you til your teeth rattle!"  
  
Laurie had never seen Gil so mad at her before. But she stood her ground. "I told you that my place was by your side and I meant it. If you had been hurt – or killed – I would've made sure that I suffered the same fate. I don't want to live without you."  
  
Gil still glowered at her but with less intensity. "If something had happened to you, do you think my own life wouldn't have changed? I need you, Laurie. But I need you alive. There are rocking chairs waiting for us on a porch somewhere and I want to be able to look over at you for the rest of my life." Spinning on his heels, he headed off to check on Sam and Toothless leaving Laurie to stand and gape and think about what had just been said. ----------  
  
Pete, Gil and Rowdy were standing together, drinking coffee and talking. Pete spoke. "You know, boss, those Indians must be hungry – hungry enough to want so much beef. The buffalo are scarce now, and I reckon the deer and elk are too."  
  
Gil tilted his hat back on his head. Rowdy interjected. "They usually make some kind of raid and steal some beeves anyway. Why don't we just give them some instead of looking constantly over our shoulders to see if it will happen again?"  
  
"I been thinkin' the same thing," answered Gil. "It'll be chancy ridin' into their camp, what with so many braves either injured or dead. But it also might save more killin' later on." He stopped and pondered the idea. "Rowdy, you and Pete cut out about twenty-five head, and we'll herd them over and take our chances." Nodding their assent, Pete and Rowdy did as they were asked to do and soon returned with the cattle.  
  
Laurie had been watching from a distance, wondering what was going on. When Pete and Rowdy appeared with the beeves, she sidled up to Gil. "What's going on?"  
  
"Takin' some steers to the Indian camp. Those Indians are hungry and we might save ourselves future trouble."  
  
"Well, I'm going with you," stated Laurie.  
  
Gil's answer was a terse "No! You're staying right here!"  
  
"Am not. I'm part of what's bad and what's good. If you don't let me ride with you, then I'll just follow you anyway. If there's trouble, I want to be there."  
  
"Woman, you are the most stubborn..." Gil's voice trailed off. He knew he wouldn't lose this battle with Laurie so he conceded that she could go. But she had to leave the gun behind. "You're not good enough with it to not shoot your own self or somebody else."  
  
And so it was that Laurie and Gil, Pete and Rowdy rode with the cattle to the Indian camp. Guns were aimed at them – the atmosphere was filled with tension.  
  
Bear Claw approached. "Why do you come here?" he demanded.  
  
"We have some cattle to give to you in case you are runnin' low on meat," Gil answered as his eyes took in the many braves armed with guns or bows and arrows.  
  
Bear Claw looked perplexed. "I do not understand. We would have killed you and your woman. We made war on your camp. Yet you offer us some of your beef even as we bury our dead and tend to our wounded."  
  
Gil started to answer but was interrupted by Laurie. Gently and kindly she spoke. "We mourn for your dead and feel sorrow for your wounded. What we give now is an offering of peace. We hope that you will accept this offer in the name of friendship."  
  
Bear Claw thought for many minutes. There was complete silence. Turning to his braves, he apparently ordered them to lower their weapons. "The woman speaks from her heart. Is the gift of these cattle true or is it a trick?"  
  
Gil interrupted Laurie this time. "It is no trick, Bear Claw. My woman speaks the truth for all of us."  
  
Speaking in his language to his braves, the cattle were taken into the heart of the camp. Then he turned to speak to Gil. "My mind says this is a trick, but my heart says it is not. I will listen to my heart and my people will accept this gift. There will be no more raids on your camp for, as the new chief, I have spoken. We may never become friends but we will not be enemies." He reached up to Gil and clasped his arm. "Your woman has spoken wise words. She is a good woman. I am glad we did not kill her. I hope that we will be glad also that we did not kill you."  
  
The arm clasp between the two men lasted for several seconds as they looked unflinching into each other's eyes. As they did this, a woman exited a teepee and approached them. Bear Claw spoke. "This is my woman, Blue Feather. She has a gift for your woman. We take nothing without giving something in return."  
  
Blue Feather approached Laurie shyly and handed up an exquisite silver and turquoise necklace. Laurie smiled as she accepted the gift and then said to Bear Claw, "Please tell your woman that I thank her for this beautiful necklace. I shall wear it proudly and with honor."  
  
Bear Claw smiled at Laurie and then smiled at Gil. "Your woman is very good and is very brave to ride with you into our camp. We could kill all of you right now if we wished to. Her words have touched my heart. Take care of her."  
  
"Yes," answered Gil as he looked at Laurie, "she is very special. I will take very good care of her."  
  
Rowdy and Pete looked at each other in awe. This whole process went better than they had expected. Was it because of the cattle or because of what Laurie said – and how she said it – that allowed them all to keep their scalps. Laurie was putting on the necklace and smiling happily. Then, turning their horses, the foursome headed back to their own camp.  
  
----------  
  
After spending quite a while relating to the drovers the events at the Indian camp, it was time to gather the herd up to move on toward the railhead. Laurie had to go back to town and head East herself. Gil was unhappy that she had to leave; Laurie was miserable. After saying her goodbyes to the drovers, she and Gil headed toward town. Halfway there, Laurie spoke. "You don't need to ride any farther with me. Leaving you with your herd and your men makes me feel like you are where you belong."  
  
Gil started to protest but Laurie shushed him as she ran her hands over the necklace. "The Indians won't bother me now. I'll be safe." Leaning towards Gil from her perch in the saddle, she reached out her arms to him. He did the same, holding her tight and kissing her lips and eyes and nose.  
  
"We'll soon be at the railhead. Then I'll be on my way to Philadelphia. You'll be in New York. I want you to come to see me and the girls and Aunt Eleanor when you can. Will you wire me or write me (handing over Aunt Eleanor's address) and let me know how soon you can get there?"  
  
Laurie kissed him again. "Try and keep me away!" She drew away from Gil's embrace and nudged her horse forward, never looking back. Gil turned his horse around, but he looked back and gave a sad but hopeful smile. He never knew that Laurie was crying. His own heart was heavy, and he felt a lump in his throat. The railhead wasn't that far away, and then he would be going home to his little girls. And, at some point, to Laurie. She had his address – he now had to trust her with his heart.  
  
----------  
  
Four weeks later, Gil was home in Philadelphia with his little girls and Aunt Eleanor. His delight at seeing Gillian and Maggie – and Eleanor – was overwhelming and he discovered that the children wouldn't let him out of their sight for any length of time. He longed for his own home and being able to have his little daughters with him – they were growing up fast and he knew that these days were too precious to lose.  
  
Having tucked Gillian and Maggie into bed, he sat down with Eleanor for a talk. Of course, the main topic was Laurie and how to introduce her to his children. They had long been with Aunt Eleanor and were used to her ways of doing things. How would two kids react to the appearance of a woman who Gil ultimately wanted to marry?  
  
Eleanor was both a good listener and an expert at advice. By the time they had finished their conversation, Gil re-read the last letter he had received from Laurie when he reached the railhead. On it was her return address, for she had gotten to New York before he had arrived in Philadelphia and she had already performed in Boston, New Jersey, and Washington. He sat down, pen in hand, and wrote her a short note.  
  
The next day, he had two errands to run – one was to the post office to mail Laurie's letter. The other errand was a secret. He had hated to leave his daughters behind – he would normally have brought them with him – but a secret had to be kept. And he wouldn't be gone long.  
  
Now came the agony of waiting for a response from Laurie. Over a week later, his response came. As per his invitation, Laurie would be arriving in two days on the noon train. Gil was both happy and apprehensive as to how things would go. Would Laurie feel the same way now that she was back in her own home, performing on stage with well-to-do citizens as compared to the less-fortunate people in tiny opera houses and even one saloon? Would his children like her? Would Eleanor like her? As for himself, he was sure of his feelings. But would his heart get broken?  
  
----------  
  
Laurie's train, of course, was late. By now, Gil had paced so much and so long that he had practically worn a hole in the ground. Last night, as he was tucking his girls in bed, he had told them that he had met a very nice woman named Laurie Nelson and that she would be coming to visit the next day. She even might be able to stay for several days. He let it be known that he cared for her very much but that she would never come between him and his daughters. Gillian, the older child, watched his face as he spoke about Laurie. Even at her young age, she was most perceptive and could see the warmth in her father's eyes. But she wanted to check Laurie out for herself before passing judgment. Maggie was too young to notice such things and was excited about meeting a lady who sang in theaters and opera houses.  
  
Finally the train arrived. Gil held his breath as he waited to see Laurie's face and, when he did, he broke into a broad smile. Laurie ran to him and flung her arms around his neck; he lifted her off the ground in a bear hug and swung her around. In the middle of a long kiss, both of them realized that they were out in a public place and pulled back to look at each other as Gil put her down on the ground. Laurie blushed. Gil laughed out loud. Feelings had obviously not changed for either of them.  
  
"Well, Gilfavor! Just look at you!" Laurie eyed Gil's "city clothes" and smiled. "I guess I expected you to be in jeans and chaps with a horse tied up somewhere!"  
  
"Do you approve?" he asked rather self-consciously.  
  
Laurie leaned her head one way and then the other. Then she walked around him to take in the entire picture. "You look wonderful. But, then, you always have."  
  
Impishly she smiled. "And how do I look out of my Western duds?" Gil would never know how long it had taken her to pack a few things all the while hoping that they would be appropriate. Today, she had chosen a modest blue dress with tiny bits of lace at the bodice, sleeves, and hem.  
  
Gil's eyes were more than impish – they were devilish. "I kinda liked you in your camisole."  
  
Laurie gaped and was speechless. Gil took her arm, grinning broadly, picked up her luggage and then loaded it and the woman into the waiting carriage. Laurie found her voice, but all she could do was blush and whisper "Gilfavor! How you talk!" And then, she too had to laugh even though memories of the Indian attack still gave her the willies.  
  
The pair talked all the way to Eleanor's house and, the closer they got, the more nervous Laurie became. Gil could see it in her eyes. "Laurie, they're just children. Not monsters. They will like you and you will like them."  
  
Sighing, Laurie's answer was, "I hope so."  
  
----------  
  
The carriage stopped in front of a beautiful old two-story house with a well-kept garden and lawn. Tall trees lined the walkway. Helping Laurie down from her seat and gathering her luggage, Gil announced that this would be where she would be staying as long as her schedule would allow.  
  
"Gilfavor! Don't you think it inappropriate to be staying here – me, a single woman, and you – a man with children?"  
  
"Eleanor is our chaperone," he whispered as he opened the front door.  
  
Because the girls didn't know for sure when their father would be home, they were not at the door to greet Laurie. But Eleanor was. Laurie liked her instantly – and the feeling was quite mutual. Instead of shaking hands, Eleanor gave Laurie a hug and welcomed her profusely. "I'm so glad to finally meet you after all this time. Gil's letters spoke so often about you that I feel I already know you. Please come in and sit down. I have lemonade and cookies all ready to serve."  
  
Gil wrote Eleanor, his dead wife's sister, about me? How interesting. Laurie gave Gil a sideways glance and received an innocent look in return.  
  
The banging of the back door heralded the arrival of the little girls who ran pell-mell into the foyer. Instead of towering above them during the introductions, Laurie knelt so she could look each child in the eye. She knew instantly that Maggie would be accepting of a strange woman's presence, but Gillian would be more protective of her father. The three smiled politely at each other, and Maggie presented Laurie with what had been flowers growing in the garden – dirt, roots, and all.  
  
"Why, Maggie," Laurie smiled. "What a wonderful gift. I think we should put them in some water so they will stay pretty longer." Eleanor, smothering a grin, took the flowers and hurried off to cut the stems from the roots and get a vase for the already-wilting bouquet.  
  
Gillian had a present of her own for Laurie. "Close your eyes and open your hand," she commanded. Gil felt a sinking feeling but knew he had to let the scene play out.  
  
Laurie did as she was told and felt something rather cold and fat in her palm as Gillian pressed Laurie's fingers gently closed. "Okay. Now you can look," said Gillian with a wicked grin.  
  
Laurie intuited that this was a test. Slowly she opened her fingers and found a large toad glaring at her. Instead of throwing the creature across the room and running away shrieking, she made herself look at the creature. "Hello there," she said to it. "Do you have a name?"  
  
Gillian didn't know whether to be happy or sad at Laurie's reaction. She decided that maybe Laurie might not be so bad after all. "His name is Henry," Gillian said.  
  
"Hello, Henry. It's nice to meet you." The toad continued his baleful glare from Laurie's hand. "Are you part of the family too?" The toad stuck out his tongue and then leaped from Laurie's hand onto the hat rack, blending in almost perfectly with the color of the wood.  
  
Eleanor shrieked. "Get that thing out of my house!" Gil pinched his nose in exasperation.  
  
Gillian rushed to catch the creature but wasn't quite quick enough. Laurie rose. "Gillian, we have to put some kind of plan into action. You take one side and I'll take the other. I'll herd him towards you because he knows you better. Then you can hold him where he feels safe."  
  
Gillian now figured that Laurie was definitely worth getting to know. In a minute, "Henry" was captured and, at her father's request, the toad was taken outside.  
  
Eleanor led Laurie, Gil and Maggie into the parlor where they sat in comfortable chairs. Laurie deliberately chose to not sit on the sofa with Gil. Take it a little bit at the time. Gillian entered the house in time to hear Eleanor say, "Laurie, I know you'd like to wash your hands before we try out these cookies. There's no telling what that dreadful toad's been in."  
  
Laurie, her thinking cap on but not knowing that Gillian could hear, answered, "Eleanor, it was just a toad. The only reason to wash my hands is to get the grime off from riding that dirty train all morning." Gillian gave Laurie a gold star and decided this woman was a "keeper." Laurie did take the time to wash though – but Gillian would never know it was because the toad had peed in her hand.  
  
While they drank lemonade and ate cookies, Laurie was bombarded with questions from the girls about her singing career and her life in general. Gil and Eleanor might as well have been in another country because they couldn't get a word in edgewise. But that was a good sign – the girls seemed very comfortable and so did Laurie. As the sun began to set, Eleanor called a halt to the question-and-answer session and led Laurie up to the guest room. It was spacious and comfortable and had a beautiful view of the back garden. Eleanor hugged Laurie again. "I'm glad you're here. I think we're all glad you're here. Now, I'll leave you alone to unpack. Dinner will be ready in an hour."  
  
Laurie hummed as she began removing a few things from her suitcase. It was several minutes later that she noticed Gil standing in the doorway watching her. "You did very well with Gillian today. And Maggie too. But especially Gillian. She was testin' you, you know."  
  
"She loves you, Gil. I'm not surprised that I was being tested. I would've done the same thing had I been in her shoes. But, I must admit, I wasn't expecting a toad." The pair laughed, and Gil came into the room to kiss Laurie soundly. The kiss was interrupted by Maggie's small voice as she squealed, "Ew! They're kissing!" Then she fled downstairs. Gil shook his head back and forth and exhaled loudly. Then he looked into Laurie's open suitcase and something caught his eye. He picked it up gently, gave his most devilish grin, and chuckled, "My favorite camisole."  
  
"Gilfavor!" groaned Laurie. "Act like a gentleman and put that back! Now leave me alone and let me get my things put away!" She cuffed him lightly on the shoulder and pushed him out the door. She could hear him chuckling all the way down the stairs.  
  
----------  
  
By the time Laurie had unpacked, washed her face and hands, there was no time left to change clothes for supper. The dress she had worn all day would just have to do. As she descended the stairs, she could smell the aroma of roast beef and she followed her nose into the dining room. The girls were already seated, as was Gil. Eleanor was putting the last platter of vegetables on the table.  
  
Eleanor, Gillian and Maggie waited for their Gil to say the blessing. Laurie had never heard him do this and was deeply touched as they all joined hands. "Lord, make us thankful for these and all Thy many blessings. Amen." Smiling at everyone at the table, Gil began passing the platters of food.  
  
Laurie did what she did best during a meal. She kept her mouth shut and let everybody else do the talking. And there was no shortage of conversation. Laurie loved how Gil interacted with his girls and with Eleanor; it was plain that he loved them all very much. Supper passed quickly and Laurie helped clear the dishes away, take them to the kitchen, and wash and dry them. Eleanor protested when they reached the kitchen. "Laurie, you don't have to do this."  
  
"Eleanor, I don't want to be treated like a guest. I want to be treated like..."  
  
"One of the family?" Eleanor smiled. "That's a distinct possibility! Here, I'll wash and you dry."  
  
----------  
  
Laurie became "one of the family" almost instantly. The girls were very accepting of her presence and Gil fairly glowed when their eyes met. Many times they had been caught in an embrace by one of the girls but there were no more "Ews". Gillian saw a definite change in her father's attitude and his happiness was more than evident. Maggie just felt love all over the house and didn't bother to question why it was there or what brought it about. On this particular day, Laurie kissed Gil as he left on one of his "secret missions" and noted a devilish look on his face. When asked what "that look" was for, he kissed her again. "Miss Nosy, you'll just have to wait until I'm ready to tell you." Laurie stuck her tongue out at him as he left, and then she put on jeans to go climb the big tree in the front yard where the girls were already perched and waiting. While sitting in the tree, a letter arrived for Laurie – it was from her manager. She leaned down to take the letter from the postman's hand and giggled at the look on his face. But then she panicked as she held the letter – undoubtedly it was a message that said she must return to New York. She opened it slowly and then smiled.  
  
She waited until the evening meal before revealing what the letter contained. "I have some good news," she began. All faces turned to her. "The 'Songs of the Trail' was so well-received in so many places that we have been invited to have a performance here."  
  
The girls squealed with delight. Gil stopped chewing and raised both eyebrows. Eleanor was the only one who could find her voice. "Why, Laurie! That's wonderful news! This is something that I'd really like to see!"  
  
"Can we go, Daddy?" pleaded Gillian. "We've never been to the Opera House before! We can dress up and watch Laurie sing!"  
  
Maggie added, "Please, Daddy!"  
  
How could Gil resist. He swallowed his mouthful of food and found his voice. "It's a great idea." He pointed to his little girls. "But you have to be on your best behavior. No pranks, no wiggling in your seats, no talking during the performance. Can you do that?"  
  
Gillian and Maggie answered in unison a resounding "Yes!"  
  
Eleanor laughed. "That means clothes-shopping, girls. You have to wear grown-up clothes. No school clothes."  
  
Both girls nodded solemnly. "Daddy, we'll be the best-dressed little girls there, and we'll be so good you won't even know us!"  
  
Gil laughed and gave his consent. "When does the performance start?" he asked Laurie.  
  
"In four days. I'll have to be at rehearsals for two full days. The orchestra will be the same as it has been, and a chorus group has been added. We still have to practice a lot if this is gonna be a success." Laurie thought out loud. "Thank goodness I already have the right clothes to wear. Well, maybe I ought to get a new pair of jeans and shirt. My boots and hat are just right." There was a distinctive air of excitement at the table that night which extended into the next few days.  
  
Eleanor took the girls for "grown-up" dresses and shoes. Gil went off on another "secret mission." Laurie rehearsed all day for two full days and looked worn out by the time she came back for supper. Oftentimes she was late arriving and went to bed early. Her time with Gil was short – there was no more sitting in the parlor and talking late into the evening. Hugs and kisses were quick and way short of the passion that had once been there. Gil almost wished that there wouldn't be a performance at all. He missed the Laurie he had fallen in love with. He constantly reminded himself that this was her life and her choice – but he was afraid he was losing her to her career.  
  
----------  
  
Performance night. Laurie left early so she could be at the Opera House in time for any last-minute changes or problems. She had an unusual case of "nerves" because she knew Gil and Eleanor and the girls would be watching. She had never been this nervous before.  
  
Arriving at her dressing room in the wings behind the huge stage, Laurie discovered a small box on her dresser that read "Open Me Now." It was in Gil's handwriting. With trembling hands, Laurie opened the box and saw her locket. Her heart dropped – obviously Gil wanted out of the relationship they were in and this was his way of letting her know. She squinched her eyes tight so she wouldn't cry. He was doing exactly what she had told him to do. She put the locket down and then picked it up again and opened it. Her picture was still there, but Gil's likeness was right next to hers. Elation overtook the sadness she had felt and she danced around the room laughing and crying at the same time. What a wonderful way to begin the evening! Quickly, she put the locket on, added extra touches to her make- up, and waited behind the curtain for her cue. She couldn't stop smiling!  
  
Looking at the throng of people waiting to enter the building, Gil was glad that Laurie had instructed him to go to the back door where an usher would escort them to their seats instead of their having to stand in the long line. Gil knocked on the back door and told the young usher who he was. "Oh, yes, Mr. Favor and party. Right this way, sir!" He led the foursome to seats in the balcony above the orchestra pit – the perfect place to sit and see and hear everything. Already, the members of the orchestra were tuning up their instruments so it wouldn't be too long before the show started. Gillian and Maggie were fascinated by the ladies and the men in their evening wear – it was a good distraction and kept them from fidgeting.  
  
When the building was full to capacity, the lamps were dimmed and the stage lights went on. A hush fell over the crowd as the prelude filled the air. The curtains opened and revealed a back-drop of painted wagons with horses and pioneers either riding in the wagons, or riding horses, or walking. It was beautiful. The chorus began to hum a tune and then Laurie strode onstage and burst into a rousing rendition of "We're Bound for the Land of the Sacramento." Laurie looked up directly into Gil's eyes and touched her locket. He knew then that she had found it and accepted it. He settled back to watch the rest of the show very much relieved and able to concentrate on the stage production with each new back-drop that appeared showing the progress of the pioneers as they headed westward into a new land.  
  
Yet another back-drop descended. It was painted with cattle and horses in the background and, in the foreground, there were two wagons and drovers around a campfire. Laurie burst into the rollicking "Ride, Ride, Ride," added several more songs and then followed with "Home on the Range" and "The Last Farewell." Now the stage lamps dimmed. Laurie had backed up to join the members of the chorus as they began to hum "The Drovers' Prayer," and the backdrop depicted several drovers who appeared to be guarding the steers in the dark of the night. The visual picture elicited the feeling of loneliness. Her voice rising to her highest soprano, Laurie walked center stage and added her counterpoint to the plaintive, haunting music. She looked straight at Gil and held her locket gently as her voice climbed ever higher until the chandeliers shook and three of the glass stage lamps blew out. The walls fairly shook, such was the volume of her voice. As the music ended, Laurie backed up into the chorus line and, one by one, each person disappeared leaving only the final backdrop with its twinkling stars.  
  
Laurie had grown used to the thunderous applause after such a performance, but nothing could compare to looking up and seeing the pride on Gil's face. Eleanor and the girls were obviously enchanted by the whole thing and clapped loudly. Laurie felt her heart swell as she came onstage to curtsy every time the curtain went back up. At her final curtsy, she blew a kiss to Gil and his family. The little girls blew kisses back. Laurie graciously acknowledged the chorus and the members of the orchestra. The performance was over and the curtain came down for the last time.  
  
----------  
  
Following the performance, Gil and family were ushered to another wing of the building which housed an enormous ballroom. Gil was informed that Laurie would be changing clothes and would appear soon. Eleanor, Gillian and Maggie were entranced at being able to "hobnob" with the famous people whose names they had read about in the paper, so they were more distracted than Gil was. All he wanted to do was to see Laurie. To hold her and to tell her how proud he was of her.  
  
She arrived in a beautiful green gown, cut low in the bodice, tight in the waist, and with a flaring soft skirt. Around her neck was the locket. Trying desperately to make her way toward Gil, she found herself surrounded by well-wishers who touched her, congratulated her, thanked her, and pumped her hand until she thought her arm would fall off. Finally, she was face- to-face with Gil; they looked at each other tenderly and he pulled her into his arms. "I see you found your present," he whispered as he held her.  
  
"I most certainly did, and I couldn't have asked for anything that is more precious to me. Does it mean what I think it does?" She was referring to her long-ago conversation when she gave the locket to the trail boss and had said that one day the locket would have a picture of her with the man she loved and who loved her.  
  
"Yep. It means just that," Gil said softly as he pulled away and looked into her green eyes. "And the fact that you're wearing that locket says more than any words could."  
  
Eleanor hugged Laurie, and Gillian and Maggie pulled at Laurie's skirt to get her attention. "Miss Laurie, you broke some stage lamps with your voice!" Gillian looked very impressed. Maggie just gaped.  
  
"Sometimes that happens," smiled Laurie. "I wanted to sing extra good because all of you were here."  
  
"It was a most moving performance," commented Eleanor. "I never realized that the wagon trains had their own songs, their own highs and lows, or even how many people died along the way. No wonder this show has had rave reviews!"  
  
A hand touched Laurie's arm, and she turned to face the mayor of Philadelphia. He introduced himself to Laurie and was, in turn, introduced to Gil and family. The mayor spoke loudly so the crowd could hear him. "I have a request," he began. "I would like for Laurie to sing her favorite song. Is there anyone here who disagrees?" Judging by the silence, nobody did. Laurie was flustered – there were so many songs that she loved. How could she pick just one?  
  
The mayor escorted her to the podium where Laurie's favorite piano player sat. Laurie whispered to him, and he began playing a song that Gil was somewhat familiar with. Laurie had sung a part of it when they were held captive by NaTanta. As she sang, she began moving toward him. He was distracted again as he watched her move and saw the gentleness in her face. Forgotten words had come to her, and she sang of a meeting of a man and a woman and the advice that had been given to the woman. Taking Gil's hands in her own, green eyes locked on blue eyes, she finished the song: "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." Eleanor's eyes misted as she felt the love pass between the two. Even Gillian and Maggie were moved. Then there was applause. Laurie continued to hold Gil's hand as she curtsied.  
  
The party continued with lots of champagne and food, but soon Laurie whispered to Gil, "Let's slip out now. I'm tired and want to spend the rest of the evening with you and Eleanor and the girls." Eleanor nodded and took Gillian and Maggie by the hand and pretended to walk outside for fresh air. Instead, she jumped into the first hansom she saw and looked around for Gil and Laurie. When she spotted them, she waved, "Over here! Hurry before somebody knows you're missing!" Laurie almost jumped into the carriage and was followed quickly by Gil. Giving the driver Eleanor's address and with a "Hurry!" to the driver, Eleanor's home was reached quickly.  
  
Eleanor and the girls sat in the parlor with Laurie and Gil for a while – the girls were full of questions about the songs and how Laurie could make the glass of the stage lamps break. Eleanor was quiet but was watching the interaction between the girls, Laurie and Gil. Soon she told the children it was bedtime; they kissed Gil – and then they kissed Laurie – and went to their rooms with Eleanor. It was Gil who suggested that they go outside and sit on the porch for a while and Laurie readily agreed. Plopping down in a double chair, Laurie sighed and felt Gil put his arm around her shoulder. Without thinking, Laurie's hand went to her locket and, by the reflection of the lights from parlor lamps, she opened it and looked at the pictures inside.  
  
"When did you do this?" she questioned.  
  
"One of my 'secret missions.' One never gives away the 'why, where and when.'"  
  
Laurie bunched her legs up underneath her and leaned heavily against Gil's shoulder. She felt his hand stroking her hair and couldn't remember a time she had felt so peaceful. "Eleanor tells me that you've been gone for long periods of time while I've been rehearsing. Have you been on other 'secret missions'?"  
  
Gil's eyes twinkled. "Yep. But nobody'll know til I'm ready to tell."  
  
Laurie looked up at him. "We've both been busy. I've missed spending time with you. I'm dreading the day when I have to leave and go back on the road again." She sighed heavily.  
  
"Why do you have to leave?" Gil looked deep into her eyes and then kissed her gently, holding her closer to his chest.  
  
"Gil, it's what I do for a living. How else would I pay for my house and food and stuff?"  
  
"We'll think of something, honey. Right now you need to just relax."  
  
And relax she did. In fact, she relaxed right into sleep. But just as she was drifting off, she thought she heard Gil whisper, "I love you." But maybe she just dreamed that...  
  
She never knew that Gil had carried her to her room, that Eleanor had gently undressed her and tucked her into bed. When Gil reentered the room, she never felt his lips brush her cheeks as he and Eleanor left, closing the door quietly behind them.  
  
The pair went downstairs into the parlor to have a glass of brandy. Eleanor spoke first. "Gil, that gal loves you. Why don't you marry her!"  
  
Gil puffed on his cigarette and sipped his brandy. "I need to talk to the girls first. I don't know how accepting they would be at having a step- mother. They still miss their own mother and I don't know how to bring up the subject. And I want to know how you feel about it."  
  
"Well, Gil, if you don't marry that woman, you'll be making the biggest mistake in your life! She wants everything that you do – the ranch, the livestock, a family... I vote marriage and the sooner the better!"  
  
Gil gave a lop-sided grin. "What about her career? There ain't much demand out West for her kind of talent."  
  
"Let her make the choice, Gil. She'll know what's right for her.  
  
"But what if she don't choose me?"  
  
Eleanor chugged the rest of her brandy. "Don't underestimate her love for you, Gil. And now I'm going to bed." She kissed him on the cheek.  
  
Gil sat alone in the parlor for a long time, his mind deep in thought. He knew that Eleanor was right, and he began to smile. A plan was formulating in his mind.  
  
----------  
  
Laurie stretched, catlike, and looked out the window. The sun had long since risen – she had overslept! Hurrying to join the others, she tied her hair back with a ribbon and jumped into a faded pair of jeans. She found Gil and Eleanor in the kitchen, cleaning the morning breakfast dishes.  
  
"It's about time you got up!" Gil grinned.  
  
"Why did you let me sleep so long?" countered Laurie.  
  
Eleanor smiled. "You were so tired. Gil had to carry you up to your room."  
  
Laurie looked suspicious. "And who took off my dress?"  
  
Gil snorted. "I wanted to but Eleanor did the honors while I stood outside the door."  
  
Eleanor raised an eyebrow at Gil. "How you talk! You better watch that mouth and you better be extra glad the kids didn't hear that remark."  
  
Gil snorted again and gave his lop-sided grin.  
  
Eleanor handed Laurie a plate of biscuits that had been keeping warm. Gil plopped a cup of coffee by her plate. Between bites of buttered biscuits, Laurie admitted that she had been worn out; she ignored the lop-sided grin.  
  
Finishing the last biscuit and starting on her second cup of coffee, Laurie sighed. "I have to go talk to my manager today." Another sigh. "I'm tired of traveling and singing. Never thought I'd say that, but it's the truth. Maybe my understudy can take over from here for a while – she's really talented and deserves a chance to show how good she is."  
  
Gil leaned back in his chair. "The girls and I are going out today, so we'll see you later on then."  
  
Was that a giggle that Laurie heard coming from Eleanor's direction?  
  
"You and the girls? What kind of things are the three of you going to do? I could meet you somewhere and come back home with you."  
  
"Nope. Not today. You don't have to know everything, Miss Nosy! We'll just meet back here later on." He didn't miss the fact that Laurie had called this place "home." He liked that.  
  
Gillian and Maggie now ran into the room. Gil told them to put on their riding clothes because he planned to take them to the park. But there was an odd look on his face – something more was going on. At any rate, the girls were delighted and ran up to change clothes.  
  
"Gil," Laurie said, "I'd love to go riding too."  
  
"You've got your manager to talk to. We'll all go riding another day."  
  
Laurie was very suspicious now. Eleanor's shoulders were shaking, so Laurie knew for sure that the woman was smothering laughter. Laurie thought the whole thing was strange, but she knew also that Gil wouldn't tell her anything. She made a face at him and went upstairs to change clothes. She dreaded talking to her manager but it had to be done.  
  
By the time she had gotten dressed, Gil and the girls had already gone. Eleanor was dusting the furniture and, even with Laurie's most fervent prodding, wouldn't tell what was going on. So Laurie was stuck knowing nothing about Gil and dreading seeing her manager.  
  
Mr. Farley, the manager, was in excellent spirits. The circles under Laurie's eyes were enough to show him that she did need a rest and that her understudy would be quite capable of handling things. People from all over were coming to see "Songs of the Trail," and though Laurie would be missed, nothing would truly be lost in the difference of who did the main singing. At least for a while. Laurie walked away with a happy heart. Laurie, after all, was a star and would need to be in excellent shape for upcoming performances.  
  
While Laurie was talking to Mr. Farley, Gil was riding with his daughters. Soon, he stopped in the middle of a green park, and they all dismounted to stretch their legs. There ensued a long, serious discussion among father and daughters. When the group was in agreement and had made a plan, they remounted their horses, rode to the livery stable, traded horses for their carriage and headed for the center of town. Gil prayed that Laurie wouldn't see the store they entered and doubly prayed that she wouldn't see them make their exit. The whole plan could be ruined.  
  
----------  
  
Eleanor and Laurie were busy housecleaning when Gil walked in the door with two giggling little girls. Laurie knew there was a joke afoot but had no idea what it was all about. Gil had on his most innocent face but he was fidgety. Unusual for him. The girls scampered outside to play, so Laurie couldn't pump them for information – little children will usually spill the beans without meaning to.  
  
And now it was time for supper; Laurie intuited that even Eleanor was in on whatever joke was going to be played. Laurie had her guard up; Eleanor kept smiling; the girls kept giggling; and Gil kept dropping things clumsily. After the dishes had been washed and dried, Gil took Laurie by the elbow and guided her into the parlor. From one of the desk drawers, he took out a large piece of paper and beckoned Laurie to his side to look. The paper being unrolled and held down at the corners by books, Laurie could see the plans for a house. Gil grinned. "This is what I've been working on for a while now." He looked so proud. And Laurie was impressed when she looked at the plans. "Gilfavor, that's a beautiful house!" she exclaimed as she traced her finger along the lines of each room. "Where are you gonna build it? When will the building start?"  
  
Gil rocked back on his heels, and announced that the house wouldn't be started for a while because it would be built in Montana. Laurie gave a true look of surprise. "Montana!" she finally squeaked. "When did you buy property there?"  
  
Another of Gil's inscrutable smiles. "I looked at that property last year. Finally just went ahead and bought about a hundred acres. When I get out there, I won't be a trail boss any more. I'll be a rancher."  
  
Laurie hugged him in excitement. "I'm so happy for you!" Then she thought a minute. "What about Gillian and Maggie? How do they feel about it?"  
  
"They're completely enchanted with the idea. Eleanor is happy for us though she will miss the girls a lot. We all need our own lives."  
  
A sadness came over Laurie. Gil would be heading West and she would be stuck here in the East. The thought ruined her mood, but she tried to not let it show. After all, this was Gil's dream, the reason for all his "secret missions," and it was time he found the end of his rainbow.  
  
Gil could read Laurie's face like a book and knew what was running through her mind. "Let's take a walk," he said, taking her by the elbow again. In passing Eleanor, Gil told her that they'd be back in a while. They walked in silence for a long time, each one thinking private thoughts. Gil slipped his hand from Laurie's elbow and held her hand in his. Her heart fluttered – it always did when he was outwardly affectionate.  
  
Guiding her into a copse of trees, Gil looked down at Laurie's face, finding confusion in her knitted brow. He rubbed her forehead gently. "What's the matter, darlin'?"  
  
"I'm happy for you and I know you're eager to start your new life. But I'm sad because we'll be back to writing letters again. And sending telegrams. Mr. Farley has told me that I can have some needed time off but I might as well tell him that I'd just as soon go back to work on the next show."  
  
Smiling gently, Gil spoke. "Do you remember our conversation last night on the porch?"  
  
"Well, I think I do. Somewhere in there I must've fallen asleep. Did you tell me about the ranch last night?"  
  
"Nope." Gil took a deep breath. "I finally got up the nerve to tell you somethin' that I should've told you a long time ago. I guess you never heard me."  
  
"I'm so sorry, Gil. I guess I was just worn out. And now I've seen the plans for the house and heard the news about the ranch. I ruined your surprise of last night."  
  
"Not really," came the answer. "What I was sayin' to you would have been a surprise. Sometimes I just don't speak up when it counts."  
  
Laurie shook her head and tried to understand what he was getting at.  
  
Taking both her hands in his, Gil looked very serious. "Laurie, I told you that I love you. I've loved you for a long time now. Just ain't had the nerve to say so."  
  
Laurie stood in stunned silence. How long she had waited to hear those words from him! And she had missed it last night! No wonder he was so fidgety today. He thought she had heard him and she had been asleep! Now he had plans to move away – and her chance to pour out her feelings was gone.  
  
Running her hands over the stubble of beard on his face, Laurie felt her eyes brimming. Gil got nervous at her reaction and her silence. Finally she spoke. "Gilfavor! If you aren't the damndest man I've ever known!" Standing on her tiptoes and hugging him as tight as she could, she gave him the answer he wanted to hear. "I love you, Gilfavor. I love you. From that moment on stage when I first saw you, I knew you were special. I trusted you with my heart. You glued that trust with your picture in my locket."  
  
There were many kisses then. Tender, yes. Gently sweet, yes. But there was no passion. The love between man and woman coursed through both bodies, warming their hearts and souls. For a long time, neither ceased the embrace – afraid that the spell would be broken. But finally, still floating on air, Laurie backed away first. "I think there's gonna be a lot of letter-writing between here and Montana," she laughed. Gil smiled another inscrutable smile. "I guess."  
  
Walking hand-in-hand back to the house, Laurie felt like she was floating. When they entered the house, Gil guided Laurie into the parlor. Eleanor was sitting there with her needlepoint and looked up at Gil. Then she smiled a very strange smile and disappeared upstairs. Laurie and Gil sat down on the sofa; Gil had the oddest look on his face.  
  
Almost immediately, the pattering of footsteps were heard coming from the stairs. Gil stood up and greeted his daughters. With a nod of Gillian's head, Gil bent down on one knee. Maggie presented Laurie with a beautiful bouquet (which Eleanor had put together earlier, just in case), and Gillian held a small box in her hand but wouldn't give it to Laurie. Gil looked deep into Laurie's eyes. "Laurie, will you marry us?"  
  
For the second time that night, Laurie was stunned into silence. She looked at the bouquet; she looked into each child's face; she looked at Eleanor. She was silent so long that Gil had to speak again. "Laurie, I'm asking you to be my wife. To be mother to my children. To go with us to Montana and live."  
  
"You have all discussed this? Everybody is comfortable with the idea?" Somber nods from every head. It was then that Laurie threw back her head and laughed that wonderfully contagious laugh. "Yes, Gillian and Maggie and Gil, I want to marry you three more than anything!" She clapped her hands and looked at Eleanor who had tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"Please tell me that we have your blessings," said Laura earnestly to Eleanor who could only nod happily. She was crying too hard to speak.  
  
Gil nudged Gillian who presented the small box to Laurie. With shaking hands, Laurie unwrapped the box and opened it and found a gold wedding band resting in its bed of red velvet. Now Laurie was crying and the girls were crying and Eleanor was crying. Gil had no idea what to do because he felt the tears in his own eyes.  
  
"We helped pick out the ring today," cried Maggie. "Do you like it?"  
  
Laurie swooped up both children, wedged them against Gil, and hugged them all at the same time, petals from the bouquet dropping all over the floor. Eleanor disappeared and then reappeared with a bottle of champagne which Gil opened – and even the little girls were allowed to have tiny sips to celebrate the occasion. It was late at night before the girls were tucked in bed – and this time Laurie and Gil were both there to kiss them goodnight.  
  
Halfway down the stairs, Gil grabbed Laurie and kissed her with such ardor that her legs almost went out from under her. Eleanor chose that moment to come up the stairs and, with a laugh and a pointing finger, she said, "You two aren't married yet. Behave yourselves." Then she went to bed, chuckling as she closed her door.  
  
Gil walked to Laurie's bedroom door and grinned as he looked inside. Laurie knew that look. "Gilfavor! Stop thinking what you're thinking!"  
  
But Gil was one step ahead of her. "How would you know what I'm thinkin' unless you're thinkin' the same thing?" He leered at her.  
  
"Oh, you're...incorrigible!" laughed Laurie as she went into her room and stood by the side of the door. "But I love you anyway."  
  
Gil touched her cheek. "I love you too. More than you know."  
  
----------  
  
Laurie awoke and smelled coffee. The aroma brought her to her feet and, putting on a robe, she headed downstairs thinking Eleanor was already making breakfast. To her surprise, she found that it was not Eleanor but Gil.  
  
"Can't sleep? Want some coffee?" he asked as he rose to retrieve the coffee pot.  
  
"No, I can't sleep. Yes, coffee would be wonderful," she answered. She took the cup he handed her and sat down. She didn't care that her hair probably looked like a rat's nest and that her eyes were puffy from what little sleep she had gotten. She was just happy to see Gil.  
  
They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. Then Gil asked, "Have you changed your mind?"  
  
Laurie knew what he was asking and cuffed him gently on the shoulder. "Absolutely not!" She looked at his face. "Have you?"  
  
"Absolutely not!" He chuckled. "But I'm concerned about what you're gonna do about your singin' career. Montana might not be the place to further it."  
  
Laurie smiled, leaned over, and kissed his cheek softly. "Mr. Farley has already given me a lot of time to take a rest and I have no doubt that he will let me out of my contract. My understudy will be taking my place. She's very talented and this may be the break she needs to make her own name on the stage."  
  
Curling a tendril of Laurie's hair around his fingers, Gil still looked concerned. "You'd give up your career to move to Montana and live with a bunch of livestock?"  
  
"I'll be living with a bunch of livestock and with the man I love. And two little girls that I adore. I can't think of anything better than that."  
  
While they were gazing into each other's eyes, two people so very much in love, Eleanor walked in, poured a cup of coffee, sat down, and demanded to know when the marriage would take place. "From the looks of you two, it better be soon!" She chuckled and then started breakfast.  
  
----------  
  
The wedding would take place in Eleanor's back yard in one week. Laurie asked Eleanor to be her maid of honor; she had a different idea for the girls who would be standing next to their aunt. It was supposed to be a small affair, with only a few close friends, only a handful of whom were Eleanor's friends and were parents of Gillian and Maggie's playmates. But Laurie invited Mr. Farley and some of the folks she was on stage with while Gil sent telegrams to Rowdy (who would be best man), Pete, Wishbone, Mushy, Quince, Toothless, and (of course) Joe Scarlett (who would walk Laurie down the aisle). He also sent a telegram to Bertha and Jack. Eleanor and the two girls helped Laurie pick out a beautiful but simple white satin gown and then helped her select a gold wedding band for Gil. Laurie helped the girls and Eleanor pick out dresses to wear. Mr. Farley tore up Laurie's contract – not in anger but with great joy. He knew how hard Laurie's life had been and, though he was sorry to see her leave, he also felt she was making the right decision. Gil took Rowdy and Scarlett to be fitted for their very first tuxedos and chuckled as the two men moaned and groaned about looking like penguins (though both men were secretly pleased at their new look).  
  
When Bertha and Jack arrived, Bertha hugged Laurie and beamed. "I just knew you two were meant to be together! I can't say I was surprised when Gil's telegram arrived."  
  
Shaking hands firmly with Gil, Jack grinned. "I don't know what this beauty sees in an ole dog like you, but you musta done somethin' right. Whatever it was, keep on doin' it!"  
  
Gil grinned back at his old friend. "I just hope that we can be as happy as you and Bertha are." Cutting his eyes to Laurie, he added, "And I hope that Laurie is just as good a cook!" Laurie made a face at Gil and then grabbed Bertha and Eleanor and went outside to be with Gillian and Maggie.  
  
----------  
  
"Mrs. Favor?" Pause. "Mrs. Favor?"  
  
Laurie turned from the window and blushed. "I'm not used to my name yet." She had been looking out of the cabin's window as the sun set and twilight approached. Mr. Farley had offered to let the couple honeymoon in his cabin just outside of Philadelphia – and Laurie found the view to be breathtaking.  
  
Laurie walked over to Gil. "Mrs. Favor wants to know what Mr. Favor is thinking."  
  
Gil smiled. "Mr. Favor thinks the wedding was a complete success. Things couldn't have gone better."  
  
They discussed how beautiful the day had been and how many people had been there. Wishbone had helped Eleanor make the cake – a huge one with three tiers – and Mushy had outdone himself with decorating it. Laurie had eyes shining with tears during the exchange of the rings, and Gil had felt a huge lump in his throat when he said his vows. But the high point of the ceremony was at the end when Laurie and Gil had been pronounced man and wife. Instead of walking toward the house alone, Gillian and Maggie had joined hands with their father and new "mother" and had walked with them as the preacher had announced, "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Gil Favor and the Gil Favor family." This brought half the guests to tears – it was quite a touching scene. There were pictures taken and then there was the reception.  
  
Now the two were alone, tired but happy to get away from the throng of well- wishers. Gil had already put the horse and buggy away and had come in to build a fire to offset the chill in the cabin. Laurie lit two lamps while Gil pulled off his boots and wiggled his toes. He had been so used to his old boots that the new ones he had bought had pinched his feet beyond endurance. The fire warmed the cabin quickly, and soon Gil took off his coat, vest, and tie. Laurie went back to look out another window to observe a different view. She was very unsure of what to do now. The large bed, with rose petals scattered on it (by Mr. Farley, a hopeless romantic), made Laurie slightly panicky.  
  
Gil watched her and understood her nervousness. He went to the window and stood behind her, his arms around her waist, and looked out as the sky grew dark.  
  
Laurie turned in his arms. "Hungry?" she asked. Mr. Farley had stocked the cabin with enough food to feed several armies.  
  
"Uh huh. But not for food. There's somethin' I've been waitin' on for too damn long." And then he kissed her gently and put his fingertips to her temples and ran his fingers through her wavy hair. Again and again they kissed, each kiss becoming more passionate than the next. Tongues mingled and probed. Laurie felt her belly tighten and felt the hardness of Gil against her. She felt his fingers at her back as he slowly unbuttoned her dress. She began to unbutton his shirt, her fingers shaking. Still the kissing continued – Gil acted like he had all the time in the world. Laurie felt like she was on fire and loved the feeling. Soon, all their clothing was off and Gil took a step backward to look at his new wife. Lord, she's beautiful! He pulled her back into his embrace where they stood skin to skin and then he began touching and kissing her everywhere, from the top of her head, to her neck, to each breast, to her belly. He felt the trembling in her and knew this wasn't a case of nerves – she was as ready as he was.  
  
Picking her up gently, he placed her on the bed and then stretched out next to her. Both of their hands explored each other's bodies for a long time and the room's silence was broken by soft words, happy groans, one painful whimper and a deep moan, and soothing words as two bodies finally became one.  
  
Afterwards, as they lay side by side, Laurie felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. Gil was concerned. "Are you okay?"  
  
Laurie laughed and cried at the same time as she nestled her head on Gil's chest. "I never knew it would be like this. I never knew I could be so happy." She felt Gil stroking her hair and asked, "Will it always be like this for us?"  
  
"Absolutely," came the answer in the form of a deep chuckle. Mr. and Mrs. Favor fell asleep.  
  
----------  
  
Epilog: The Gil Favor family moved to Montana where the house was built. There were cattle and also horses for the family to ride. There were dogs for Gillian and Maggie. Laurie had her garden with both flowers and vegetables. Over time, there was the arrival of a son, then another son, and then a daughter; instead of singing on stage, Laurie now sang lullabies. Time passed quickly. The advent of the railroad made trail drives almost obsolete. Gillian and Maggie married and had children of their own. Gil and Laurie were now grandparents on a thriving, expansive ranch. In the wink of an eye, the sons and the daughter married and made Gil and Laurie grandparents again. Rowdy and the other drovers, now with families of their own, visited frequently. Bertha and Jack were frequent visitors. Mr. and Mrs. Gil Favor were respected members of their community.  
  
Rocking in their chairs on the front porch, a much older Gil and Laurie watched the sun set. Laurie reached for Gil's hand and squeezed it. "I'm as happy now as I was the day we married," she said with a glow on her face. "Are you as happy as I am?"  
  
Gil didn't hesitate. "Absolutely!" 


End file.
